renegadecollective.com062 THE COLLECTIVE 063

COLLECTIVErenegade game changers | thought leaders | rule breakers | style makers

issue 4

what wouldbranson do?

lessons fromnelson

mandela

helenachristensen

+ elle, tyra, mirandabusiness is not just their bodies

big data: 400 million tweets per day

where’s it all going?

ashton kutcher

as steve jobs

art imitates life

+ hollywood’s

disruptivecelebritechs

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MOVERS + SHAKERS

spreadingTHE WORDLIKE. COMMENT. SHARE. RETWEET. Welcome to the new SYNDICATION, which is BUILDING brands, businesses and the BANK ACCOUNTS of individuals like never before. WORDS: KERRIE DAVIES

According to the Urban Dictionary (urbandictionary.com), being syndicated is when a show is sold to independent television stations. Never one to disappoint, the Urban Dictionary also says syndicated means, “hot chick times three”,

which shows how the standard definition is no longer assumed in a world of streaming and feeds, all hyped by social media.

Syndication is an ecosystem that funds new creativity, explains Ross Crowley, director of programming and channels at Foxtel. Traditionally in broadcast, networks buy volume packages of hit shows, new programs and old favourites which, combined with DVD and other sales, allow the cycle of production of original content to keep going because it buffers risk.

“Storytelling is expensive,” Ross points out. However, the power of syndication is increasingly in

the hands of the individual with a story to tell.“At its heart, syndication is simply a form of content

amplification,” says Aura Novembre, director of content relationships at Newstex, a syndication service that licences content to third-party research subscription searches, such as LexisNexis and ProQuest. Aura says there are three syndication models publishers have traditionally utilised: licensed syndication, which she says is “a win-win for all involved” and keeps attribution intact and offers compensation; secondly, a share in advertising revenues generated from content; and thirdly, the free or bartered syndicated model where the publisher can allow another entity to republish without compensation but ideally credit.

Whichever way it happens, syndication builds audiences.

“Syndication for the individual or emerging publisher is an important tool to help establish expertise and credibility, build a reputation as an influencer, earn money for work that’s already done, and open doors to new media opportunities,” Aura continues. In short, the power of syndication is to establish brands to a wider audience, which then leads to other opportunities. Would actor Jason Alexander be touring if Seinfeld hadn’t been syndicated across the world, including Australia, to the tune of US$3billion for the first 180 episodes? >

Seinfeld

imageS courteSy of tv1

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MOVERS + SHAKERS

THE biggest challenge for CONTENT GENERATORS is simply being seen when WordPress has 65 MILLION blogs alone and 100 HOURS of YouTube are uploaded every MINUTE.

Outside these big budget broadcast deals, syndication of content occurs via RSS (Rich Site Summary, or Really Simple Syndication, as it has been dubbed) feeds and FTP (file transfer protocols). Syndication increases audience, advertising and other opportunities.

That’s if anyone sees it; the biggest challenge for content generators is simply being seen when WordPress has 65 million blogs alone and 100 hours of YouTube are uploaded every minute.

And if you are syndicated, it's increasingly uncontrolled. Recognising this, iCopyright (icopyright.com) is a new plug-in that monitors where your content appears.

Call it sharing or syndication, Twitter links, Facebook and YouTube shares are spreading the word – or video. Australian company Syndication Social says in its blog that, “video seeding and syndicated distribution completely relies on social networks”.

“Consumers are definitely seeing a plethora of content choices, which is great for some content creators, but we are also experiencing a problem with information overload. It’s not easy to figure out which publishers or stories to read or follow. Social sharing is a way to discover content, but that underscores a reliance on reader serendipity,” Aura observes.

“Let’s say I’ve just published an article. I can tweet about it, post a link on my Facebook or LinkedIn page. This is a smart move if I’m trying to reach more readers but I’m still missing the point of research audience, because tools like Twitter and Facebook aren’t designed for research. The two models [research and reader serendipity] have complemented each other since the first library and newspaper and we see the need for that coexistence to increase, not decrease.”

Just like being picked up by a major network, the key is being chosen by a curator, such as Newstex, that can throw syndication to a new level, and adding metadata, says Aura. “If someone is writing about economic conditions but doesn’t mention the

words ‘interest rates’, we can tag it in the metadata,” she adds.

But as the new word of mouth, or meme, social media is hugely important in driving syndication too. Danny Brown, co-author of Influence Marketing, says the power of syndication is up to the “wisdom of crowds”, which is where social media and syndication meet.

“Look at the ‘Red Wedding’ episode in Game of Thrones,” Ross Crowley comments. “You feed people’s expectations, trigger anticipation and participation. They love it, they hate it, they debate it, then the anticipation starts again. It’s really powerful.”

Stuff White People Like, a blog satirising left-leaning urbanites, began with 100 views. “Most people mistakenly looking for organic coffee,” creator Christian Lander joked. Then, because it was funny, word spread to 800,000 views within three months, which led to media interest and a book deal only six months after launching. Stuff White People Like the book became a New York Times bestseller. Christian calls it his internet fairytale.

Yet would it all have evolved so fast if it wasn’t free? That’s the question Ross asks as he scrutinises syndication solo style.

“If syndication evolves into a world in which it is absolutely user-pays and [a brand like] Apple invests in a show expecting to cover the costs just on the episodic sales to audience [pay-per-view], what happens if nobody buys it?” he asks.

“There’s no way to recoup from that. So what we all [broadcasters] do is, ‘trust us, we will bring you a package of content, some that you like, some that are your favourites, and some you haven’t seen before’.”

Similarly, Aura says that their curating is a bridge between new content and user-pays.

“Unlike most content amplification services, we don’t charge the content creator,” she explains. “Content creators are compensated for the use of their content while the distribution channels enhance their services by offering access to leading thinkers.”

Until revenue is resolved, Ross thinks the power of syndication is still in the balance between major investors in content and the individual, with viewing habits powerful drivers of what happens next. In broadcast, there’s debate around ‘binge viewing’ and narrative story arcs over series, rather than just an episode, but the basics of anticipation remain. Whether content RSS or big budget cult TV, and delivered on cable, download, mobile or iPad, he says you have to keep delivering to your audience. How much buzz that builds before you do that is part of the success.

He sees syndication’s real value as longevity, which in broadcast terms is 100 episodes. South Korean singer and rapper Psy may be a household name now but will he be comfort-viewing in four years’ time, and even more tellingly, will we pay for it?

“It’s the long-term rewards on investment and for the participant, it’s the immersion of the full experience,” Ross says. “That’s what people are seeking.”

“Syndication has been around for more than a century but in many respects it’s still in its infancy,” Aura comments. “Technology is allowing the model to really begin to evolve. But what’s more interesting to me are the value-adds that syndicators have yet to explore. For example, the analytics that can be applied to metadata are an emerging area. And today, we have media formats and consumption patterns like YouTube and Twitter that were inconceivable 10 years ago. The content evolution will continue and that creates exciting clear, blue water spaces for syndication to evolve too.”

GETTING REAL: SYNDICATION IN PLAY WHAt: californiality.com, a popular blog about Californian culture, society, business and politics.WHO: Mark Lorier.HOW: Newstex agency syndicates the blog to research subscription services. BEnEfit: Royalties per view and exposure. Mark says, “I received several speaking invitations before political groups, unforgettable media interviews and invitations to spectacular events, which I never would have attended otherwise.”

WHAt: healthination.com, which syndicates original health and medical videos on digital, cable DQG�LQ�GRFWRU·V�RIÀFHV�ZRUOGZLGH�WHO: Raj Amin.HOW: Founded in 2005, New York-based healthination.com “is the number one content creator in the health video space”, Raj said in a recent interview with Andy Plessor. “We focused on syndication rather than destination.” BEnEfit: Advertising with syndicating partners, such as with thebump.com.

Seinfeld

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