TV programs from "watch" to "listen" -Tunity, which allows you to listen to program audio in real time just by shooting with a smartphone, has raised $ 12 million in funding | BRIDGE Technology & Startup Information
It's been a few years since I was shouted "smartphone shift".
The viewing scene of TV programs is shifting from large LCD monitors to smartphone screens. For example, distribute each topic of a news program as a short video on "Facebook" or "Youtube", or provide program content to video streaming companies such as "Abema TV", "Netflix", and "Amazon Prime Video". As a result, TV stations are meeting the demand for smartphone viewing.
The background to the rise of video streaming companies may be that the threshold of the distribution business has become lower. For example, distribution to "Facebook", "Twitter", and "Youtube" can be done for free, and even in the case of video distribution through the company's application, the increasing use cases of the cloud will reduce the cost of the distribution business. It's spurring.
CyberAgent President Susumu Fujita made the following statement on Twitter.
I think the era of bottlenecks in delivery costs is passing by.
With the rise of these major distributors, the number of content distribution bases from smartphones to public screens is expanding. Examples of public screens include screens on the Yamanote Line and Chuo Line trains, and large LCD screens used inside Shinjuku Station. With the increase in the number of video distributors entering the market, content that could only be consumed on TV screens can now be viewed in various life scenes.
According to this article, the video-on-demand market, which covers the video streaming market, will reach $ 64 billion worldwide by 2021. As of 2015, the market was $ 29.4 billion, so the annual growth rate is about 14%. According to another article, the digital signage market represented by public screens is worth $ 16 billion as of 2016. By 2025, it is expected to almost double to $ 31 billion.
The range of video content distribution methods has expanded, and users' video viewing scenes are distributed through a "1: 1 (1 viewer per content)" scheme that allows users to view content directly through their smartphones and public screens. It was divided into two parts: "1: Mass (multiple viewers per content)".
In the case of "1: 1", the content can be delivered directly to the user's smartphone, so a higher appeal effect can be expected. On the other hand, in "1: Mass", there are two major problems.
- The content appeal rate per person is low because it is premised on reaching the mass.
- Since only one large screen is placed, it is difficult to hear when the distance is long, and the level of the viewing environment is low.
"Tunity" introduced this time is trying to solve the above two problems. The company simply shoots the LCD screen on which the TV program is playing with a smartphone, and delivers only the audio content of the distributed program to the user through a dedicated app. Users can shoot the content delivered by TV stations affiliated with "Tunity" and immediately listen to it as audio content on their smartphones.
The strengths of "Tunity" are deep learning and computer vision technology. It instantly identifies the content of the program being delivered in real time on the screen and links the video and audio. In this way, we have established a patented technology that accurately delivers only audio content without the problem of sound deviation, even if the TV program being delivered in front of the user is silent or difficult to hear.
In the United States, watching TV programs outside his home accounts for 20% of the market. In other words, one in five people is watching a TV program in a public place, which corresponds to the above-mentioned "1: mass" viewing scene. The TV station side participated in the audio streaming business of "Tunity" in order to deliver programs and CM contents more efficiently to the audience of 20%. For users, the more programs they have registered, the easier it will be to enjoy more programs outside their homes.
Image by Sascha Kohlmann
There are two usage scenarios that "Tunity" envisions.
One is a situation where you can watch TV programs in the gym, hospital, or hotel waiting room without stress. For example, there may be user needs to enjoy the content while listening to the video content flowing on the Yamanote Line directly through their earphones.
The second is a usage scene where you don't watch but listen to the audio. For example, I often see people stretching in the gym who are training while wearing earphones. By using "Tunity", users who have a stronger need to listen to the content than to watch it can deliver the content as audio even if they are away from the screen by simply scanning the TV program displayed on the nearest screen. Will be.
The focus of my attention is on users with the audio content demand listed in the latter.
I think it's hard to think of a usage scene where you bother to scan the screen using your smartphone just for the needs of watching the TV program that is playing in front of you without worrying about the noise around you. On the other hand, even if you leave the screen, the demand for enjoying it as audio content will be more suitable.
The reason why I kept charging for "Youtube Red" (currently not deployed in Japan) when I lived in North America is that you can listen to "Youtube" content in offline mode without eating data usage even while walking by train or commuting. Because I enjoyed it.
Even after returning to Japan, I still enjoy video content with audio while traveling by train or writing at a coffee shop using the offline download viewing function of "Amazon Prime Video".
In this way, the only way to enjoy video content as audio was to use a service that has the function of downloading directly to the terminal. However, with the advent of "Tunity," TV stations can easily gain a new channel of program audio content distribution.
By providing an audio experience for TV shows, you can think of it as having a wider reach to your audience. The podcast market is a super-growth market, with a market size of $ 220 million in the United States in 2017, an 85% year-on-year growth rate (75% year-on-year growth in 2016). In this regard, it is time for TV stations to find new business opportunities for audio-based viewing content, rather than focusing solely on their own affiliated radio broadcasts.
Image by Georgeie Pauwels
Over the last few years, TV stations have been forced to stay close to video streaming companies. For example, Fuji TV is trying to coexist by providing popular contents "Ainori" and "Terrace House" to "Netflix", and TV Tokyo by providing "Gourmet of loneliness" to "Amazon Prime Video".
But operators like Netlifx and Hulu are increasing their investment in their content. Nowadays, simply watching TV programs and movie content on smartphones is not enough to appeal to users, and distribution of original content is the heart of the strategy. As platformers focus their strategy on original content, TV shows are even less valuable and less dependent.
On the other hand, "Tunity" has to rely on 100% TV stations. Therefore, the seller's TV station is in an overwhelmingly superior position. On the other hand, the reach of the content will be expanded, and the CM content will be delivered to the audience that could not be appealed until now, so it will be possible to give a convincing explanation to the advertising sponsor. It can be said that this is the birth of a platform that has considerable benefits for TV stations.
A total of 100 channels, including North America's representative TV networks "FOX," "CBS," and "ESPN," have already joined the "Tunity" business network. Looking at the fact that "Wework" and "MGM Resorts International", a major resort hotel group, are listed as investors, it seems that everything from upstream to downstream has been completely suppressed through this financing. ..
Even in Japan, where TV programs are gradually moving away, by changing the viewpoint of TV programs from "watching" to "listening", it may be possible to seize new business opportunities without relying on video distribution platformers. Also, it is quite possible that the "Tunity" business model will be a means of survival for existing TV stations, so it may be a good idea to use it as a reference.
via Globes
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