US blog says 4 major factors restricting podcast development: Profit model is difficult

Lead : Science and Technology blog website Read/writeweb recently published an analysis of the article said that over the past year, the network video and network pictures of the rapid development of vertical search engine made great progress, MySpace and Facebook and other social networking sites are attracting a large user groups. However, as an important form of user-generated content, the development of podcasts has stalled, why?

What is a podcast (Podcast)?

Podcasts are a kind of digital broadcasting technology, with the beginning of a software called "Ipodder" with some portable players combined to achieve. Podcasting recordings are webcasts or similar online audio programs, where users can download their online broadcasts to their ipods, MP3 players or other portable digital music players, without having to sit in front of their computers or listen to them in real time and enjoy freedom anytime. More meaningful is, users can also make their own voice programs, and upload it to the Internet and the vast number of netizens to share.

Just as blogs subvert the passive way of accepting text messages, podcasts subvert the passive way of listening to the radio, making the audience an active participant. From a technical standpoint, anyone can become a podcast as long as they have microphones, computers, and recording software. With the increasing popularity of broadband, it is possible to transmit large audio files over the Internet. So when the podcast came out in 2004, many in the industry had expected it would be like blogging, bringing another revolution to the mass media.

Podcast Development Stagnation reason

The reality may be disappointing to the original forecasters. With online videos and blogs already on the grid, the heat of podcasts is fading. Currently, the number of podcast users has been far behind the blog and online video? This situation may be related to the following four factors:

(1) competition from video and blog

The first trouble with podcasts is competition from video and blogs. Videos are usually more interesting, shorter, and can be viewed as you wish, and can satisfy a variety of impressions. In contrast, podcasts often contain discussions that require users to listen carefully to keep up. Based on this feature, podcasts cannot compete with music because many people tend to listen to music while working. Blogs also pose a threat to podcasts because people spend a lot of time reading it. Podcasts and blogs require a great difference in user focus, for example, we can quickly browse blogs, but not quickly listen to podcasts.

(2) Limited application range

Because of the need for high user focus, the scope of application of the podcast has been greatly limited. When do people usually listen to podcasts? It seems to be the most natural place to go back and forth, because when we are in the office or we get home, few of us are willing to listen to lengthy discussions. However, the time is very limited to return or travel, many people can not in a short time to experience the fun of podcasts.

(3) profit model is a difficult problem

As a new form of media, podcasts naturally also need to generate revenue. Because it is unlikely to introduce paid services, podcasts can only rely on advertising for revenue and profit. However, the arrival of podcast ads is difficult to determine. There may be some people who think that it is possible to track RSS feeds to determine the degree of podcast advertising, but this approach is highly imprecise and unattractive to advertisers. In addition, how to add ads to the podcast is also a problem. If there is a large number of unrelated ads in the podcast, the appeal will be greatly reduced, it is difficult to attract users.

(4) competition from the big media

Podcasts also face competition from big media companies. Many big media companies have found that making podcasts of their own audio content can improve their value. For this reason, NPR, CNN and National Geographic and other major media have launched their own podcasts. In the list of itunes's most popular podcasts, you can't find a standalone podcast.