Periscope

Survival of the fittest

Traditional media and video-sharing websites find ways to work together to boost their audience reach and content quality, by Cheung Lok-sze

Facing intense competition from increasingly popular video-sharing websites, traditional mainstream media are looking for ways to keep up their appeal and to tap into the extensive audience reach that the new media platform is benefiting from.

The popularity of the video-sharing websites exploded in Hong Kong in May when tens of thousands of people watched the ¡§Bus Uncle¡¨ clip as well as mainstream media turning the incident into headline news.

But the fight between traditional and new media is unlikely to be a zero-sum game as they are not going to replace each other, media analysts say.

¡§The one that can reach audiences most effectively will be the ¡¥king of media¡¦,¡¨ said Cheung Kwai-yeung, an executive committee member of the Hong Kong Press Council. ¡§But which is the most effective media? We are still looking for it.¡¨

Dr Cheung said the internet was a ¡§powerful media convergence¡¨ and those video-sharing sites were affecting the popularity of mainstream media programmes, even though some of the websites faced problems of copyright, credibility and quality of videos that their users uploaded.

¡§This is a threat to the traditional media as video-sharing websites disperse the audience,¡¨ the veteran journalist said.

He cited that the TV audience measurement of the evening news cast at TVB¡¦s Jade channel had dropped. ¡§In the past, it was a prime programme. As people can now watch the news on websites, they need not stay in front of the television set anymore,¡¨ he said.

Some internet fans do spend less time on traditional media as they have got used to watching videos online. Among them is Billy Fan Wai-tak, 24, who works in a bank. ¡§Video sharing is like cultural exchange. You can watch videos from all over the world,¡¨ Mr Fan said.

He has been hooked on watching videos on YouTube since mid-2005. ¡§Watching online videos has become my hobby already,¡¨ he said. He finds television programmes, especially drama series and situation comedies, are less entertaining than those clips on YouTube. He now spends less time on mainstream media, like reading magazines and watching television.

[next page]

OTHER STORIES IN PERISCOPE
Video-sharing: copyright violations unchecked
Local fan shares videos online

Amateur filmmaker unleashes creativity

 

 

 


Video-sharing websites provide a new entertainment platform to users.