iptv and the new agency

I went to an interesting talk today by Jon Kamen of @radicalmedia . He was talking about how the Internet companies were about to start using the web to provide more and more entertainment content - all of it on demand, and probably with advertising optional. Software and broadband have progressed to the point where we now have the option of IPTV: full web entertainment.

It will be interesting to see if he is right, though I am a bit cynical. I still remember the promises of the integrated TV, computer and coffeemakeer whihc people like Olivetti and Philips promised i Europe many moons ago. They failed because people didn't want to watch TV on their computer. Maybe things have changed - especially among tweens, colege and post-college "kids". Somehow, they, I thinnk the boob tube is a hard abit to break.

What did strike me as interesting was the work @radical is doing. Creatign programming for ESPN, MTV and Nike (who can then sell it to TV channels). Starting an entertainment company for Grey Goose (and making the film Iconoclasts that was on Sundance tonight for them. They claim that they want to work/need to with the agency because they are the brand experts.

But what is to stop them hiring a few planners and just becoming a new kind of creative/strategic hotshop - one producing cool content which is truly relevant. Another production company, Dogmatic has already hired someone super smart to help do just that. Agencies and TV execxs should be worried, though if the TV execs put anything good on TV they wouldn't have to be worried. Same goes for the ad guys I suppose :)