Last night, millions of viewers said goodbye to Lost, ABC Studios’ top-rated and highly anticipated show. A show that ran for 6 seasons. A show that often times confused viewers. And, a show that actively participated in what will be defined as one of the most disruptive and innovative times in media.

Lost may be gone from TV screens. However, it will continue to live across different platforms – DVDs, posters, forums, etc. Everyday, a new viewer will be engaged by the show and continue to follow it’s story until they finish or they get frustrated with the lack of information. Regardless of how the viewer perceives the show, the media industry should look at it and learn from it. It did many things right, a few things wrong. However, in the end, it was part of a significant media transition.

Some highlights from a media perspective:

• Hosted podcast: One of the biggest media initiatives was a weekly podcast (audio or video) that coincided with the release of every TV episode. Some of these were behind the scenes videos while others were answers from the creators of the show. Even today, very few shows take that initiative and use iTunes to distribute supplementary content.
• Online video: Lost was amongst the first “major” shows to have an online video presence. This not only included recaps, but also included full-length episodes. The network also started distributing its content on Hulu recently.
• Video on demand: Similar to online video, Lost was made available on a number of video on demand platforms, most notably iTunes.
• Online sites: Although this has become popular with almost every TV show today, Lost was amongst the first shows to leave clues via specially created online sites. While these were used to primarily engage the audience, it was an effective way to talk about the show and also tie in to the story line.

What’s next:

When it comes to media properties, Lost is in a category of its own. It got people to talk. It generated buzz. This experience shouldn’t go away. When Lost went on the air 6 years ago, there were very few advanced mobile phones with good media capabilities. Today, with Android, iPhone, iPad and more products in the pipeline, interactive media is a reality.

Set-top boxes like XBOX 360 have transformed the living room. Want to interact on Facebook with your XBOX 360? No problem. Want to read tweets? No problem.

Despite a large user base, there are very few media companies that have challenged the status-quo. To monetize content after Lost goes off the air, ABC should create an iPad app which sells for $49.99 and include every single episode as a stream. The app should be interactive, should have games and should link directly to a community portal with forums and discussions.

Regardless of how ABC decides to proceed, I have a feeling that it will be more than just a DVD box set. Today, platforms are advanced enough to deliver stunning experiences and should be leveraged to their fullest potential.

In the end, from one fan – goodbye, Lost. It’s been entertaining.

The Media Summit conference in New York attracts executives across traditional and digital media properties. The opening keynote speaker for the 2010 Media Summit was Jonathan Klein, President of CNN, U.S.

Selected portions of the interview are paraphrased below.

Is producing 24 hour news viable?
For CNN, 2009 was the most profitable year and profits have doubled over the past 4 years. Klein also used The Wall Street Journal as an example — if the WSJ can produce 50-60 pages of high-quality content every day, so can CNN.

Areas of growth:
Online is a large growth area, especially with online video. And, mobile has a huge potential in the future. Klein also mentioned that cable has growth potential as well. With innovation, CNN reaches 50% more people today.

Joint efforts and synergy:
“You’ve got to foster a collaborative working environment.” Collaboritive efforts for CNN and their partners have been beneficial. The CNN relationship with Fortune Business Group to produce CNNMoney.com and with Time magazine have mutually benefitted both parties.

On journalism:
“Journalism is an obsession, not a profession.” According to Klein, serious journalism is cheaper than ever before.

On ratings and competition:
“I’m really afraid of social networking.” Klein is more afraid of 500 million Facebook users than 2 million more Fox viewers. People get their news from people they trust. And, Klein wants people to get their news from CNN, rather than the 1000 people that they follow on Twitter. Additionally, Klein would rather over-deliver on real journalism, than focus on best ratings.

Reaching over 41 million viewers, last night’s Academy Awards was the highest rated awards show in the past 5 years. This was also the year where interactive and digital media played a significant role.

• ABC’s www.oscars.com had more than 10 features surrounding the awards, ranging from games to behind-the-scenes access.
• Associated Press, in partnership with Livestream, live-broadcast ‘Oscars Red Carpet,‘ reaching more than 100,000 viewers.
• CNN also live-streamed the red-carpet on www.cnn.com.
• Nearly all the trending topics on Twitter were related to the Academy Awards.

Even in a year where content companies and distributors are reeling from the economic downturn, the audience numbers have remained high across the board. Earlier this year, the Superbowl was the “most watched program in television history.”

As numbers continue to rise across media properties, it’s clear that digital media compliments traditional media properties and does not cannibalize it.

Update 1 –  9:03pm EST (March 7th) - Cablevision and ABC-7 have reached a tentative agreement to broadcast ABC-7 content while both parties continue negotiations.

From SaveABC7.com:

ABC7 and Cablevision have made significant progress and have reached an agreement in principle that recognizes the fair value of ABC7, with deal points that we expect to finalize with Cablevision. Given this movement, we’re pleased to announce that ABC7 will return to Cablevision households while we work to complete our negotiations.

As anticipated, nearly 3 million Cablevision customers in the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut area have lost access to WABC.

Cablevision and The Walt Disney Company failed to reach an agreement by Saturday midnight. Any Cablevision customer tuning into Channel 7 is being presented with the following message with a voiceover, including this statement “We apologize for the inconvenience caused by ABC’s action”

First things first: This is the 100th post on this blog. Thank you for reading over the past year. If you’re new to this blog, please subscribe to the newsletter or via RSS. 

Yesterday, Apple announced the iPad — a computing device placed between a smartphone and a laptop computer. Everyone in the media and entertainment space should own one and here’s why. 

Details

Price: Starts at $499 (16GB WiFi) $599 (32GB WiFi) and $699 (64GB WiFi). Add $130 to each for WiFi + 3G models.  

Capacity: 16GB, 32GB or 64GB

Battery life: 10 hours (use); 30 days (stand by)

Screen size: 9.7 inches

How it helps: 

For TV and Movies: If you’re a TV and movie studio, you have to get your content up to the iTunes store immediately. For example, there are a few shows that I subscribe to via the iTunes. These shows are automatically downloaded to my computer the next morning and I can watch them either via Apple TV or on my iPod touch. However, with the iPad, the portable market is going to get a lot bigger. Imagine that you’re sitting in a hotel room and want to download a movie. Simply open the tablet and download the movie (provided you have connectivity). This is much cheaper than renting a movie through the hotel and is instantaneously portable. 

For music producers: iTunes is one of the largest music portals on the world. However, at $.99, I’m not sure how much profit the labels are making. This is a perfect opportunity to promote music videos and other music collatoral that can be used in a group setting. For example — if you’re throwing a party, connect the iPad to a compatible dock and watch the huge screen play the music videos. Without any more investment, the music labels can start making a higher margin. 

For independent producers: Apart from YouTube, the iTunes store has been a blessing for many independent producers. It allows consumers to access independently produced content on a host of multiple devices, including  to access podcasts. For independent producers, new devices only help by expanding the audience size.

For newspaper publishers: Newspaper and magazine publishers have been extremely hard hit in the past decade, partly, thanks to the Internet and it’s free content and partly because of their outdated print products. When you a receive a newspaper, the news it contains is at the very least 1 day late. The iPad creates new possibilities for publishers. If a publisher decides to create a paid app, it can do so. And, unlike many other devices, people might pay for a minor subscriptio feen. I don’t subscribe to any newspapers at the moment and if someone gave me the ability to get the NYTimes.com on my iPad for less than $5.00 per month, I would absolutely pay for that. 

For book publishers: With the release of the iBook store, Apple is directly competing with the Kindle. However, the biggest hole is still the availability of content. Many books are still not available on the Kindle and if the same happens with the iPad, then the chances are success are low. Furthermore, with the Kindle app, it’s also possible to view Kindle books on the iPad, making it a win-win for everyone. 

For marketers: Want to sell your services on the go? With the addition of Keynote presentations and HD video, it’s now possible. If you’re a marketer, you need to have the device for your entire team.  

I wrote a post last year about Content vs. Medium, stating that content was still very expensive to produce, regardless of the medium. 

Amongst the NBC decision to move the Jay Leno Show to 11:35pm, Conan, who currently hosts the Tonight Show, published a long statement today. You may read it in it’s entirety here. 

One statement which stands out is this (emphasis mine): 

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy
hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is
for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably
hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The
Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its
destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the
Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I
believe nothing could matter more.

That statement is not only true for the Tonight Show, but for nearly every prime time property. And, online producers shouldn’t forget that. The value of a brand on television is much higher than the value of an online-only brand – at-least for the foreseeable future. However, combining prime-time brands with digital brands is an extremely powerful combination and the future of entertainment. 

Last night, NBC premiered the 3rd season of Chuck. While the episodes were mediocre, one of the strongest portions on the show was the integrated advertising. The following commercial aired immediately after the first segment. The ad used 3 of Chuck’s characters, which prevented fast-forwards on DVRs. 

Is this the future of advertising? Maybe. While I’m not interested in a new car, I’m certainly interested in the characters. This ad also seems to have a stronger brand-recall than most other TV ads. 

Business humor before the Thanksgiving holiday (Source: Tim Gilmour): 

As the Executive Producer at Magnet Media, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Microsot’s Silverlight team for a variety of marketing and training content.

One of the more prominent sites using Silverlight is NBCSports.com. The interactivity across the site is great as it features the live camera, alternative angles, chat, and stats. Check it out:

 NBCSports.com – Launch Player

Loading game

NBC Sports – Key Plays

NBC Sports – Chat

One of the raging debates regarding online video has been the duration of online content. Some content producers prefer content that is (on average) approximately 5 minutes. However, there are certain producers that create content that is longer — often times running close to 60 minutes.

So, is there a correlation between the length of the content and success? No, absolutely not.

If you browse the top podcasts list on iTunes, you’ll notice that each of these shows vary in duration.

Similarly, if you compare two popular web shows — Revision3′s Diggnation and Felicia Day’s The Guild, you’ll notice that their formats are completely different and yet they’re both popular.

Advantages of short form programming:

• Relatively easy to produce.
• Most sites easily support short form programming. For example — YouTube allows everyone to upload content that is under 10 minutes. For anything longer, you need to contact YouTube.
• Works well for audiences accustomed to TV watching. TV is separated in 5-7 minute “segments” by using commercials.

Advantages of long form programming:

• Allows for greater monetization options.
• Beneficial for collecting user information across various segments.
• Enhanced syndication by offering entire episodes or segments.

Conclusion:

At the end of the day, the duration of the programming should be irrelevant, as long as the content relates to it’s viewers. If the content doesn’t make sense, then duration doesn’t matter.