Comedy on Television and the Web
Saturday, March 14, 5-6pm, Ballroom AModerator Ricky Van Veen (CollegeHumor.com) kicked off Saturday’s panel by suggesting that in the current media climate, comedy seems to be leading the way in shaping consumer video consumption and, by extension, is shaping the wider media climate in a big way – goofy clips on YouTube and elsewhere, sitcom-related webisodes, longer-form content made specifically for online viewing, as well as watching material online instead of on TV or in a movie theatre. In the past it was porn. What’s up with that? Nothing really. Comedy, like porn, comes in all shapes and sizes, in many cases requires no investment in characters or stories, and can be enjoyed in less than three minutes. And comedy clips are more acceptable to share on your Facebook page than porn. So, why is comedy leading the way in shaping the media climate? People like to laugh.
Panelist B.J. Novak (The Office) adroitly pointed out that the current media moment is really a rapid-growth moment in the evolutionary process. As the point person behind the webisodes for The Office, he wondered if webisodes would be necessary or relevant in the future, or are merely a passing element in the evolutionary process.
It’s now cliché to say that anyone who says they can predict where the media chips will fall is either a fool or an idiot. Patience is more valuable than clairvoyance at this moment.
While there’s a lot of fear in Hollywood of the Internet, the only ones who should be scared in the current media climate are those “making weak content,” said panelist Avner Ronen, founder and CEO of Boxee.tv, an aggregate site that allows users to pull content from a variety of sources. “I watch The Office religiously, but I have no idea when it airs,” he said, pointing to the growing audience desire to watch what they want when they want. “Maybe on a train I’ll snack on some clips and when I’m at home, give more attention to a longer show or a movie.”
This ability to watch content on demand is about more than technology enabling viewers to watch what they want where they want; it’s also about consumers being even more selective in what they watch.
“No one is at their laptop to watch the ‘just okay’ show,” Novak said. In comedy, if something doesn’t make you laugh, you move on. And as the media climate continues to morph, those who want to stay afloat will have to get used to the idea that the will of the consumer is no laughing matter.
This article appears in March 20 • 2009.