New CBC Player one step closer to an open internet metric that works

Alert! CBC embed will begin to play on load - to turn off scroll down.

On Saturday I wrote a  piece here about CBC's new 'Player' pages (Saturday, August 25, 2012 - This Week on "A Translation of WireTap with host Jonathan Goldstein") - specifically on the way CBC Radio show, "WireTap with host Jonathan Goldstein" is making content available for embed through the new Player.

I commented also, by way of constructive criticism, that the embeds available through the new player would annoyingly, play on load; and that how content available to embed would shortly thereafter disappear behind an itunes paywall. I commented on this second quality that, the appearing and then disappearing content destroyed the buzz the content was creating in the social networks. As an example, I posted the three of the most recent 'Featured' shows.

Wiretap's oldest post in the 'Feature' section (WireTap | Aug 10, 2012 | The Big Thrill | 25:20) has now gone dead in my blog's embed. Next week the second oldest post, the David Rakoff Tribute, will go dead. The week after that, "The Lothario" (a repeat from Season 2 - 2006/05/14) will follow the others to the itunes, open internet graveyard.

Interestingly - even though it is not a part of the Apple Inc. itunes paywall contract - the Season 2 post from 2006 will go likely go dead along with the others, because the webmasters at CBC have placed it in a new player, rather than the Season 2 player - which I embed here as an experiment:

WIRETAP | May 14, 2006 | The Lothario | 27:30



I fear that CBC executives will take from these observations that embeds interfere with the paywall - so disable embeds.

But what I have tried to show here, and in all these posts on WireTap over the years (as part of my learning), is that the social networks are a key part of the metric of social network marketing. Paywall if you like - but don't put up open internet episodes for a time and sequester them later behind a paywall. Pretending to an open internet meme and then pulling down content destroys the connections established in the social networks; and pisses of internet users going forward as they run into, not paywalls, but dead ends!

From observing CBC's online strategy from the user's point of view - when a company releases a security to the open internet it must stay up until it has run out of energy pushing eyes to the 'pay-for-view', most recent episode (perhaps, the life time of the production).

Therefore, sequester the most recent episode behind a paywall for a time - and then release it to the open internet, with all the fanfare and celebration that a release to the commons deserves. The smart phone market, people who have already purchased the episode in the 'immediate market', can then brag with-in the fanfare that they have already heard the episode - and then talk about it, adding to the buzz.


NPR's "This American Life" has the idea properly sussed. At their site all the episodes are up for free: to download, to stream at the site in a player, or via various smart phone apps.

To monetize, "This American Life" have a separate tab called 'Store' where content is sold as DVD's, in 'Collections' and 'Behind The Scenes' productions. Also T-Shirts, Books, Mugs and Posters from the shows periodic Live Events are offered - along with unique toys like a "Custom USB Drive With Rare, Unreleased Interviews (Plus TAL "Behind the Scenes" Video)".

mh