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The 1 Way to Succeed on Twitch and YouTube

Monetizing a live stream is seen as a legitimate career. Simply set up an account and just be yourself. It’s…not that easy. Here's one way to make it work!

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The 1 Way to Succeed on Twitch and YouTube
Monetizing a live-stream is seen as a legitimate career these days. Simply set up an account on Twitch, YouTube, or both, and just be yourself. It’s…not that easy. For those who assume acting is easy, simply ask any aspiring actor if they think acting can be done by anyone. Hopefully, they’re not offended and will just laugh at you. The same with comedy. To quote the great Robin Williams’ “Of course you have to know comedy. Because if you tell a joke and they don’t laugh, then you know tragedy.” Streaming content is the newest version of creating entertainment. The upside is that it’s easy to get into. The downside is that this creates a saturated market. Voices are easily lost in a market that’s brimming with people trying to get attention. To get those coveted followers it takes a lot of time and effort. Without a direction, however, even time and effort can be wasted.

Know Your Topic

I’ll admit, I have no skills when it comes to playing online games. The last time I touched a Halo game I barely scored one kill. When it comes to researching, organizing, and telling a story, that’s where my real abilities lie. Thus, I’ve given up on video games and instead have focused on reading books, reading about writing, writing, talking with other writers, editing, and writing some more. The upside of all this is that I’ve now landed a job where someone pays me to do this all day. It’s still a challenge. Putting words on the screen every day requires hard work and discipline. Working through horrible drafts is just part of the process of getting to the right one. Now let’s replace writing with live-streaming. The same advice applies; keep working at it. You’ll also learn some surprising things about yourself. For example; my boss asked me how long it would take to complete an article consisting of 800 words. I ballparked it at four hours. He blinked at me and said, “You’re the first person to use a number.” And I got the job. You don’t have to be an expert, you just need to know more than the average person.

Create Genuine Connections

This one has always proved difficult for me. Since I’m good with writing and rewriting, and editing, and rewriting, talking to people face-to-face can be daunting. It may seem obvious, but making friends wasn’t my forte as a child. When I worked to make people like me, I came across as a fake. And worse, desperate. No one wants to be friends, or do business with, a desperate person. And those that do are going to take advantage of you. Instead, working to find a personae or a particular schtick helped make it easier to interact and relate to strangers. It was subtle at first, and at times overblown. With time I honed it. It’s not as difficult as it used to be and I still work on it from time-to-time. By being genuine you create genuine relationships. Genuine relationships lead to a solid fan base.

Do Your Research

Once you’ve discovered what works for you, hone it, develop it, work on it. This means, as bad as it sounds, that you much do research. Yes, research. Looking for relevant information and data that are relevant to your topic takes time. If you’re at least interested in the topic, then researching it will seem less arduous. In fact, it may even be fun. I enjoy reading books not just for the stories, but to see how the author tells them. Soon I plan on taking Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass on writing. If you neglect research, you run the risk of losing your audience. This links back to the “being a fake” mentioned earlier. The best comedians still do it. Jerry Seinfeld, when his hit sitcom ended, went back to doing standup. It helped him figure out new material, find what worked for him, and as he says, get back to his roots.

Then You Can Think of Monetizing

Technology, though amazing, does lull us into this false belief that things will happen quickly. We stream movies and music instantly. Every time you tap an icon on your smartphone you get a little dopamine rush from completing a task and completing it quickly. Getting into writing has taken me years. There were times I considered quitting. Thankfully, I’d started, and quit, a lot of things before then. I'm tired of repeating that process. I’m also a father now and constantly “searching for myself” does not work well with trying to raise a child. It also helps that I enjoy telling and sharing stories. I’ve also been told I’m good at it. And now someone is paying me to do it. Took about three years to get here, but better late than never, right? So if you decide that a career as a streaming personality or entertainer is for you, then go for it. Be prepared for a long road filled with tough times. In the meantime, to ensure your connection is fast so you can stream uninterrupted, check out Spectrum internet bundle deals.   “You can start any ‘Monty Python’ routine and people finish it for you. Everyone knows it like shorthand.” —Robin Williams

2 Million Reasons Netflix May Be Losing Their Edge

Netflix has spent over $8,000,000,000 (that’s billion with a B),racked up 112 Emmy Nominations…but they may be losing their edge.

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2 Million Reasons Netflix May Be Losing Their Edge
Netflix has spent over $8,000,000,000 (that’s billion with a B), racked up 112 Emmy Nominations…but they may be losing their edge. Despite their big push in creating original content and knocking HBO off their throne, they’ve missed their forecast of new subscribers for the second quarter of 2018, by 2 million. This has happened three times in the past ten years, so it’s not as shocking as one would think. Of course, Netflix’s stock dropped more than 14% in response to this. And now executives for Netflix, as well as outside business analysts, are asking why this happened.

Whose Fault Is It?

The blame, according to executives, lies on poor internal forecasting…and not the recent hike in prices for new and veteran subscribers. Forecasting is, at best, a guess. Meteorologists for the local news are guessing every day that the weather will turn out a certain way. There’s sophisticated technology, models, and years of training that go into it. Underneath it all, however, they are still guessing. Analysts in the world of business and finance are making a prediction when they forecast the future. And if we know anything about the future, we know it’s going to be wildly different than what we assume it will be. To blame a miss of 2 million subscribers on poor internal forecasting is a little short-sighted. Because when the weather turns, do you go after your local meteorologist?

What Can They Do About It?

While Netflix didn’t gain those 2 million new subscribers, there hasn’t been any news that they’ve lost any either. Netflix retains its current subscriber base of 130 million globally. They’re still a powerhouse to deal with and after besting HBO in Emmy Nominations, they’ve done well in positioning themselves to finish strong for 2018. Now, HBO is working on reclaiming that dominance and has already laid out their first weapon; Joss Whedon. On July 16th, it was announced that Whedon’s new show, The Nevers, will be on HBO. The network beat out Netflix in a bidding war to get the show and ordered the series directly…without ever seeing a pilot. HBO is taking the smart path by focusing on new content. Netflix can do the same by doubling-down on their content. By keeping their subscribers satisfied with their shows, the streaming giant can still grow their subscribers organically. Because a satisfied viewer is likely to recommend the show to their friends. For Netflix to artificially raise their number of subscribers, they should set their sites a little more realistically.

Think Strategically

Without those 2 million subscribers, the streaming giant will lose a little bit of momentum. Not a lot, just a little. There’s no harm in being cautious though, as the executives at Netflix have a right to be. What they can do is get ready for awards season. Netflix can continue to campaign for their shows that helped them get those 112 Emmy nominations. They’re in a good spot to walk home with the most wins this year and deal an even bigger blow to their biggest competitor, HBO. There’s also the Golden Globes coming up. These awards shows seem to mirror each other when it comes to nominations, so don’t be surprised if Netflix beats out HBO for Golden Globes as well. Netflix should keep on campaigning like they normally do.

The Forecast for Netflix

So long as Netflix doesn’t panic or commit a knee-jerk reaction, they’ll be fine. History is rife with companies, and people, who reacted to something small and created a big problem. Just think of The Pig War. In 1859, a single hog was caught rooting in a farmer’s potatoes. To save his potatoes, the farmer, an American, shot the hog, owned by a British man. Tensions rose when one accused the other of foul play. Soon the hog’s death became an act of aggression by Americans’ towards the British. US soldiers were sent to the island, British Navy ships were sent to bolster the British merchants there. All because a hog got out and ate a few potatoes. The executives of Netflix just need to keep their cool. Things like this can happen and it’s important to remember that this was based on forecasted data. One shouldn’t invest too much in the predictions of the future from a single source. What Netflix should be interested in is HBO’s plan to reclaim their throne. As the networks continue to battle it out, their main weapons will be content- shows. The harder they work to beat the other, the better the shows will be. If this turns out to not be the case, then someone else will swoop in and claim dominance. Be it Netflix, HBO, Amazon, or someone else, make sure you don’t miss your favorite shows by checking out the best Spectrum internet deals. You can also save yourself some money in the process!

3 Things to Know about the Peak TV Era

The Era of Peak TV is still going strong. Take full advantage of the deluge of prime entertainment with this knowledge and a hidden tip!

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3 Things to Know about the Peak TV Era
The Era of Peak TV is still going strong. First, it was broadcast channels, and it was not enough. Then came cable television, and it was better, but not still not enough. Now we have streaming networks, internet TV, and more ways to get new and scripted shows. In 2015, the head of FX, John Landgraf, dubbed this the Era of “Peak TV.” Not just TV, but the abundance of scripted shows. And Landgraf warned that if there were more than 500 that would be “the peak.” After that, there would be too many scripted TV shows to go around. Too many options of what to watch. As a result, the bubble would burst and we’d see a sharp decline in scripted television. By some counts, there are more than 500 scripted shows on television right now. We’ve passed Landgraf’s limit. So…what happens now? While some networks, like Freeform and MTV, have switched from scripted programs to reality, the trend hasn’t quite caught on. Networks and streaming services, the most obvious being Netflix, are still churning out new shows. And while viewers can take advantage of this with Spectrum internet bundle deals to make the most of cable and internet, the bubble still appears intact. With no end in sight, the Era of Peak TV marches on. But what does that really mean?

The Good

As stated previously, there is an abundance, a plethora, a deluge of scripted television to watch. Either broadcast, cable, or streaming, there is something that is bound to catch your attention and draw you in. Gone are the days when you had to wait for the show to air on it’s selected channel and night. And worse than that, if you couldn’t watch it, you had to set the timer on your VCR to record it and hope that a power outage wouldn’t screw that up. Now we are blessed with DVR, on-demand, and best of all, streaming. Thanks to these services, creators have produced more shows to fill the demand. Or was it the other way around? Whichever came first, the point is that the ability to watch a show when you want necessitates an excess of television. To meet that need, big names like Judd Apatow and Shonda Rhimes have been wooed to subscriber-based television to produce shows that a dedicated audience will pay for. If they watch everyone single one of them or not at all, it doesn’t matter. These services have provided a better outlet for producers and writers to create the shows they want to create.

The Bad

The downside of this abundance is the quality of the shows being produced. With any group, no matter how big or small, there will be top performers and bottom performers. When there were few shows, the bad ones were easily weeded out and replaced with ones that might do better. Now, with the 500+ shows available, that means there will be a lot of bad ones out there. Since those shows are already paid for, you might end up wasting your money on them. Another facet of this is that the scriptwriters are the ones who are apparently suffering. Since more shows are being created, they tend to come in smaller packages. The old 22-episode seasons of a sitcom or drama is not the typical format you’d find these days. Instead, we’re seeing eight, ten, thirteen-episode seasons. A writer will usually be paid by the show or for a set number of episodes. If there are fewer episodes, that means a smaller paycheck. The simple answer would be to just write for more shows, but that will lead to burn out and a decrease in quality. This ties back to the previous item of bad shows being produced. One last thing- option overload. With so many shows available it’s hard to decide on which show to watch. Some nights you might find yourself debating which show to watch and end up not watching anything.

When Will It End?

We may have passed Landgraf’s omen of 500 shows, but there’s no telling how long it will last. 500 shows this year could mean little. Next year there might be 550, and the year after that 600. Maybe then we’ll find out if the bubble will pop. Another possibility is that we may hover around 500 for a few years and then see the bubble pop. There’s no way of telling. Having access to nearly 500 shows isn’t a bad thing. We get to see a wealth of stories and expand our creativity more. Another downside is the price that all this entails: To get access to this wealth of engaging stories means having to pay for more than one subscription. This is on top of already paying for cable and internet. So then why not pay less for both? Save yourself some money while you download the latest episode by checking out internet bundle deals. Switch your provider or plan, and you’ll be in the best spot to enjoy all the Era of Peak TV has to offer.

3 Things HBO is Aware of And What They Can Do

In this follow-up to last week's post on HBO,new news has shifted how HBO should approach the ever-changing landscape of television entertainment.

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3 Things HBO is Aware of And What They Can Do
Last week this post on our blog, HBO Should Look Forward to Childbirth, detailed a big change for HBO: How the media giant should approach John Stankey’s charge to create more and broader content to compete with Netflix. Then more news came out that will provoke even more change for the Home Box Office network.

#1 The Justice Department Has Appealed

The Justice Department decided to appeal the merger, as it’s entirely within their right to do so, and go with a decision made by a lower court. An appeal like this doesn’t completely nullify the merger, but it does make it uncertain as to whether HBO will still answer to AT&T, and by extension, John Stankey. The point made in the last post may end up being moot if the Justice Department succeeds in canceling the merger. This doesn’t mean HBO will be free and clear to keep doing what it’s doing.

#2 Netflix Has More Nominations

The Television Academy, The National Academy of Arts & Sciences, and International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences all get together once a year and decide which content on TV is the best. This is commonly known as The Emmys. Last year, in 2017, HBO had a success rate of 26%, the highest of all the other networks and streaming services. This year, however, it looks as though their dominance has ended. Maybe not ended completely but shifted ever so slightly downwards. Netflix has garnered 112 nominations to Home Box Office’s 108. The winners will not be announced until September, so HBO still has a chance to snag more wins. The number's don't look promising fur HBO. Yet, surprises can always be counted on.

#3 HBO Has to Start Thinking Differently

With or without AT&T and Stankey, HBO must think differently. A wise man once said; “The worst place to be is the same place that you’ve always been.” If HBO continues to operate the same they’ve been for the last five years, then it will be the beginning of the end for them. On the other hand, this year may be just an off-year for HBO, it happens.

What Home Box Office Can Do About It

Richard Plepler, the CEO of Home Box Office, is likely thinking strategy right now. Netflix, though newer, has finally beaten them when it comes to awards. And being the leading provider of choice, Netflix appears to be chipping away at HBO’s throne. They’ve done this through investing a lot, to the tune of $8 Billion, and heavily campaigning for Emmy Nominations. HBO also campaigned. Given the number of nominations though, they didn’t seem to do as well this year as in previous years. Plepler could shrug it off as an off-year and double-down on better entertainment and campaign harder for next year—or—he could think of a new strategy. The new strategy need not be earth-shattering. He doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel after all. But he does need to take this new news seriously. Whether Stankey is going to remain his new boss or not seems largely irrelevant at this point.

The Real Question

How will HBO change their game? It may be as simple as launching a new show that appeals to a wider audience. It could also involve charting a new course for the content provider. Or somewhere in between. The first strategy requires them to put a lot of pressure on just one show. This has worked for other networks in the past. It's also failed and caused networks to go into a massive downturn. The second strategy, though necessary, is not without its risks. For HBO to try a new direction, they must first deal with entrenched ideas that have led to their success already. The old adage “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” will get mentioned along the way, but it won't apply here. The network is not broken, but they run the risk of becoming that way by shrugging off Netflix and refuse to change their approach to entertainment. The last strategy is a little bit more sound and spreads out the risk. As previously mentioned in the last post, they could tap into different bestsellers and create content that’s not chockfull of nudity and violence. They can still make those type of shows but round out their schedule with more offerings. There are other ideas for how HBO can compete. But they would fill up a book, so we won’t get into them here. But know that HBO has a chance to surprise us in the coming years as they seek to compete against streaming services. HBO could also disappoint, but given how long they've been around, that shouldn’t happen. HBO has earned recognition for its creativity and bold stories. Viewers will never stop wanting that. The trick is figuring out how their preferences are changing and to adapt. And if they can adapt to that, then Netflix, Amazon- or any other content provider- will get left behind. That’s the true goal Plepler needs to keep in mind.
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HBO Should Look Forward to Childbirth

HBO is not looking forward to the childbirth jokes. John Stankey,CEO of Warner Media,said they’ll be working harder in the coming year.

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HBO Should Look Forward to Childbirth
Home Box Office is not looking forward to the childbirth jokes. John Stankey, CEO of Warner Media, spoke to 150 HBO employees at a company townhall event. The short version is Stankey said they’ll be working harder in the coming year. "You will work very hard, and this next year will — my wife hates it when I say this — feel like childbirth…You'll look back on it and be very fond of it, but it's not going to feel great while you're in the middle of it." Stankey, believing that HBO isn’t profitable enough, has hinted that they need to increase their content to compete with streaming giants Netflix and Amazon. HBO, considering itself a boutique network, is not creating enough content to match the number of hours watched on other streaming services. To compete with Netflix and Amazon, Stankey desires an increase of hours watched per day as opposed to hours per week. Stankey wasn’t talking about a real pregnancy and childbirth. He was really calling for HBO to produce more content that appeals to a broader audience.

Can Home Box Office Produce?

Many of the biggest TV shows have found their home on HBO. The Sopranos, for example. Known for its gritty style, graphic violence, and nudity, The Sopranos landed 118 wins and 301 nominations over its six seasons. The show was more than mob violence, but a poignant portrayal of personal growth in maddening circumstances. If The Sopranos had been Home Box Office’s only hit then the argument would be easy. HBO didn’t stop with The Sopranos, however. Game of Thrones, Tru Blood, Sex in the City, WestWorld the list goes of examples of HBO putting out programming that consistently draws in a dedicated viewership. For Stankey to call for an expansion of their content offers is a dicey move. HBO has long enjoyed its position of “premier content” provider. The network fought to that spot by offering bold and edgy programming that one would only see in movies. Instead, HBO brought onto the small screen, for a monthly fee, every night. When HBO became known for their content, they spawned a host of other networks offering similar programming. Of course, they also charged a premium for it. If a viewer didn’t like the content, they simply didn’t have to pay to watch it. Problem solved. This tactic has sustained HBO…so far.

Are Netflix and Amazon Producing Something Better?

At the 2017 Emmys HBO had 111 total nominations. Netflix and Amazon had 91 and 16, respectively. When the awards ceremony was over, HBO walked away with 29 wins. Netflix? Twenty wins. Amazon? Two. Crunching the numbers, that means HBO had a success rate of 26% to Netflix’s 22% and Amazon’s 13%. Based on these numbers alone, there’s little argument that HBO is doing well compared to Netflix and Amazon. It’s not the number of awards that executives like Stankey are looking at. According to a 2017 survey by Morgan Stanley, respondents were asked; “Which service provides the best original programming?” 33% of respondents answered- Netflix. Amazon doesn’t seem to be in the fight much. They may just be biding their time. If HBO and Netflix are busy slugging it out, then Amazon could sit back, relax, and wait to pick off the exhausted winner when the fight does finally end. For now, HBO needs to contend not just with Netflix, but what they stand for – streaming original content, and lots of it. Although not all shows Netflix and Amazon offer end up being winners, they seem to be playing a numbers game; the more shows produced should eventually lead to a big hit, like Stranger Things. If HBO tries to play the game Netflix is playing HBO would lose. What HBO should be focusing on, instead, is to find a way to build upon their brand.

How can HBO win?

The childbirth metaphor is fitting given the amount of work that HBO is likely to take on in the coming years. A better metaphor for “winning” would be “Can HBO capture more attention than Netflix and Amazon?” Making a breakout show and keeping viewers aren’t always the same thing. There have been great shows that were rated poorly by critics. There have been terrible shows that critics loved. There have been shows that had one good season and then they die off soon after like Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom. For HBO to live up to Stankey’s request of creating content for a broader audience, the network will have to find a way of connecting to a much more diverse audience. Not every show can have gratuitous violence and nudity. They’ll have to watch their language as well. A challenge for sure, but not impossible. HBO has already found success by tapping into books. Game of Thrones, Big Little Lies, and Sharper Objects were all based on best-selling books. This tactic has worked for them so far. After all, if people like reading a book, they’ll likely want to watch it as a show. By expanding on this logic, Home Box Office can go a few steps further by looking beyond their usual picks and try different genres. What about a limited series based on books like The Dresden Files, Soon I Will Be Invincible, and Scot Harvath? It may be as simple as visiting the local Barnes & Noble and going to a different section.

HBO is About to Get Bigger

To fill Stankey’s order, as well as compete with Netflix and Amazon, HBO will have to expand. How they expand is entirely up to them. HBO can be as creative in this endeavor as they are with their content. The road ahead is uncharted. HBO should view this as an open invitation to really push the envelope and not a decree to create babies. And if Home Box Office is good at one thing- it’s pushing the envelope.
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