Channel Analytics Giving MCNs the Edge
According to a December 2, 2013 article published in the Los Angeles Business Journal, analytics technology is now the “secret sauce” that MCNs are betting on to attract and keep content creators. As Tom Dotan argues in the article, the original appeal of MCNs to individual channels was their hyper-networking capacity, linking creators to ad sponsors as well as to other creators for a synergistic outcome: “you can link with other stars, connect with brands and watch your page views (and revenues) swell.”1 However, now that many of the content creators have begun networking themselves at industry events — including the yearly “VidCon” hosted in Anaheim each August — and at the new YouTube spaces, MCNs have been looking for new ways to appeal to their creators. Technology, specifically site analytics and metrics presented to creators in an accessible way, appears to be the new answer.
In October 2012, Maker Studios (one of the dominant MCNs in the industry) launched a dashboard tool for content creators called Maker Max.Though not conventionally considered the most tech-savvy MCN (that’s Fullscreen’s unofficial title), Maker made it clear in early 2012 that the dashboard technology would be important for continuing to scale its business when it hired its Chief Technology Officer Ryan Lissak, who built the technology along with 45 other new technology hires.2 This represents a significant investment on the company’s part and a clear statement as to its ???
Maker describes the product as a “one-stop-shop” as the Max dashboard gives content creators access to important data like “their views, subscribers, revenue, and social engagement” relevant to their uploaded videos. Moreover, Max allows creators to connect their YouTube channels to social media (mainly Facebook and Twitter) so that creators can “instantly see all the mentions on social networks right alongside [their] views.”3 Arguably, making this data more accessible to creators then provides “actionable insight” on how to better engage with audiences; Maker then supplements this “insight” with customized advice provided by its business and marketing experts so that each
partnered channel has its own strategic plan as to how to grow viewer engagement and revenues. In addition, the Max dashboard also connects creators to each other and to Maker’s support staff through forums, further reinforcing the original sell of the MCNs: networking and connectivity.
Many of the other dominant MCNs in the industry are also offering similar technologies. In October 2013, Fullscreen launched its own dashboard called Channel Plus, originally called the Fullscreen Creator Platform, which affords partnered creators the same types of data and connectivity as Maker Max.However, in addition to analytics, Channel Plus also features a tool called Fullscreen Gorilla “designed for participating in branded sponsorship campaigns from advertisers,” which was initially launched in 2012.4 According to the Los Angeles Business Journal, if content creators feature a sponsor’s product that they have been made aware of through Gorilla, “they’re entitled to increased cost per one-thousand impressions, or CPM, compensation, which Fullscreen says ranges up to $40.”5 Considering the average monetized YouTube video has a CPM south of $5, this represents the potential for increased revenue for content creators of up to 800%. Thus, similar in spirit to Maker’s forums connecting creators to one another, Fullscreen’s Gorilla seems to be augmenting the MCN’s original promise to connect creators with sponsors through better technology.
Big Frame and Machinima are also now reportedly offering their content partners similar analytics and dashboard technologies, albeit through third-party companies, while advertising sponsors themselves are using outside technologies, such as Zefr’s ‘Brand ID’, to locate creators that are already promoting their products.6 Other third party technologies available to content creators, many of which Maker, Fullscreen and other MCNs have packaged into their
offerings for partnered channels, include Tubestart, “a Kickstarter-like tool designed for funding online video,” Spreadshirt, “which helps creators make and sell custom merchandise,” and Laffster, “which identifies an online star’s most influential fans.”7
Interestingly, access to these technologies seems to be one of the biggest draws for content creators who, since October 2013, have been categorized as MNC “affiliates” rather than as MNC managed channels. Ostensibly, the distinction between managed and affiliated channels lies in the assignment of copyright liability (MCNs assume liability only for content uploaded to managed channels); however, in practice, the additional copyright review affiliated channels must go through represents a significant delay in monetization, and thus a potential loss in revenue. As such, the incentives for partnering with an MCN without giving the network full managerial control over the channel’s content are shrinking; arguably, access to dashboard analytics and other YouTube-associated tools is one move MCNs are taking to counter this. In effect, MCNs may take on a membership-like structure similar to online journals, fitness clubs, or dating services in which the quality and quantity of services available depend on the pay-wall selected; except that availability of these tools or the speed of monetization is determined not by how much money a creator is willing to pay but by how much autonomy a he or she is willing to cede to its MCN.
Citations
1. Dotan, Tom. (2013, December 2). “Focus Changes for YouTube.” Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved from http://labusinessjournal.com/accounts/login/?next=/news/2013/dec/02/focus-changes-youtube/
2. Lawler, Ryan. (2013, October 23). “YouTube Network Maker Studios
Introduced Its Platform For Managing Videos And Engaging With Fans.” TechCrunch. Retrived from http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/23/maker-max/
3. Ibid.
4. Lawler, Ryan. (2013, July 9). “YouTube Network Fullscreen Launches Platform To Help Creators Track And Grow Their Audiences.” TechCrunch. Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/09/fullscreen-creator-platform/
5. Dotan.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
In October 2012, Maker Studios (one of the dominant MCNs in the industry) launched a dashboard tool for content creators called Maker Max.Though not conventionally considered the most tech-savvy MCN (that’s Fullscreen’s unofficial title), Maker made it clear in early 2012 that the dashboard technology would be important for continuing to scale its business when it hired its Chief Technology Officer Ryan Lissak, who built the technology along with 45 other new technology hires.2 This represents a significant investment on the company’s part and a clear statement as to its ???
Maker describes the product as a “one-stop-shop” as the Max dashboard gives content creators access to important data like “their views, subscribers, revenue, and social engagement” relevant to their uploaded videos. Moreover, Max allows creators to connect their YouTube channels to social media (mainly Facebook and Twitter) so that creators can “instantly see all the mentions on social networks right alongside [their] views.”3 Arguably, making this data more accessible to creators then provides “actionable insight” on how to better engage with audiences; Maker then supplements this “insight” with customized advice provided by its business and marketing experts so that each
partnered channel has its own strategic plan as to how to grow viewer engagement and revenues. In addition, the Max dashboard also connects creators to each other and to Maker’s support staff through forums, further reinforcing the original sell of the MCNs: networking and connectivity.
Many of the other dominant MCNs in the industry are also offering similar technologies. In October 2013, Fullscreen launched its own dashboard called Channel Plus, originally called the Fullscreen Creator Platform, which affords partnered creators the same types of data and connectivity as Maker Max.However, in addition to analytics, Channel Plus also features a tool called Fullscreen Gorilla “designed for participating in branded sponsorship campaigns from advertisers,” which was initially launched in 2012.4 According to the Los Angeles Business Journal, if content creators feature a sponsor’s product that they have been made aware of through Gorilla, “they’re entitled to increased cost per one-thousand impressions, or CPM, compensation, which Fullscreen says ranges up to $40.”5 Considering the average monetized YouTube video has a CPM south of $5, this represents the potential for increased revenue for content creators of up to 800%. Thus, similar in spirit to Maker’s forums connecting creators to one another, Fullscreen’s Gorilla seems to be augmenting the MCN’s original promise to connect creators with sponsors through better technology.
Big Frame and Machinima are also now reportedly offering their content partners similar analytics and dashboard technologies, albeit through third-party companies, while advertising sponsors themselves are using outside technologies, such as Zefr’s ‘Brand ID’, to locate creators that are already promoting their products.6 Other third party technologies available to content creators, many of which Maker, Fullscreen and other MCNs have packaged into their
offerings for partnered channels, include Tubestart, “a Kickstarter-like tool designed for funding online video,” Spreadshirt, “which helps creators make and sell custom merchandise,” and Laffster, “which identifies an online star’s most influential fans.”7
Interestingly, access to these technologies seems to be one of the biggest draws for content creators who, since October 2013, have been categorized as MNC “affiliates” rather than as MNC managed channels. Ostensibly, the distinction between managed and affiliated channels lies in the assignment of copyright liability (MCNs assume liability only for content uploaded to managed channels); however, in practice, the additional copyright review affiliated channels must go through represents a significant delay in monetization, and thus a potential loss in revenue. As such, the incentives for partnering with an MCN without giving the network full managerial control over the channel’s content are shrinking; arguably, access to dashboard analytics and other YouTube-associated tools is one move MCNs are taking to counter this. In effect, MCNs may take on a membership-like structure similar to online journals, fitness clubs, or dating services in which the quality and quantity of services available depend on the pay-wall selected; except that availability of these tools or the speed of monetization is determined not by how much money a creator is willing to pay but by how much autonomy a he or she is willing to cede to its MCN.
Citations
1. Dotan, Tom. (2013, December 2). “Focus Changes for YouTube.” Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved from http://labusinessjournal.com/accounts/login/?next=/news/2013/dec/02/focus-changes-youtube/
2. Lawler, Ryan. (2013, October 23). “YouTube Network Maker Studios
Introduced Its Platform For Managing Videos And Engaging With Fans.” TechCrunch. Retrived from http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/23/maker-max/
3. Ibid.
4. Lawler, Ryan. (2013, July 9). “YouTube Network Fullscreen Launches Platform To Help Creators Track And Grow Their Audiences.” TechCrunch. Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/09/fullscreen-creator-platform/
5. Dotan.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
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