数字电视网如临大敌

    YouTube正在开启有线电视2.0时代吗？——在这个时代，频道从成百个激增到数千个，同时它所开创的平台正在打造真实而专业的内容产业。

    美国国家广播环球公司（NBC Universal）的媒体创新和跨平台事业部执行副总裁劳伦•扎拉兹尼克表示，YouTube和早期的有线电视有着惊人的相似之处。在科罗拉多州阿斯彭市举办的《财富》科技头脑风暴大会（Brainstorm Tech conference）上，扎拉兹尼克称，就像早期的有线电视一样，现在YouTube上的内容大多也显得粗糙幼稚。因此一般认为，广告主是绝不会大批光顾这个平台的，而人们也纷纷抱怨选择太多，无所适从。扎拉兹尼克说：“30年前也是这种情况”，他指的正是有线电视业发展早期的状态。

    那么，两者显著的区别是什么？资本。她说：“有线电视刚起步时”，融资能力“极强”。而相形之下，YouTube上催生的内容产业就远没有那么牢固的根基。但是，不把YouTube当作内容创作者的正经平台未免不够明智。用她的说法就是：“一旦这个平台吸引了庞大的受众群来消费，它就会成为一个必争之地。”

    扎拉兹尼克的这番见解与《财富》杂志（Fortune）下期的封面故事主题不谋而合。这个主题叫“YouTube改变世界”。报道是笔者的作品，将在本周四上线发布。

    这次与扎拉兹尼克同台发言的是吉姆•兰佐尼。作为哥伦比亚广播集团（CBS Interactive）的总裁，兰佐尼承认YouTube在媒体消费中的份额正飞速增长，对年轻人来说尤其如此。但他同时也表示，正像电视没能消灭广播，电影也没能终结电视一样，YouTube和在线视频也不会摧毁目前仍然强大的电视业。他说：“终有一天，消费者会以某种方式在所有这些媒体形式中找到消遣。”

    兰佐尼和扎拉兹尼克都是负责带领各自的公司迈入数字时代的领导者。两人都表示，数字化已经是他们公司的主流，而且正日益占据主导地位。

    当问及他们最担心哪家对手时，兰佐尼说是苹果公司（Apple），因为苹果在移动设备上正成为日益重要的发行控制者。而扎拉兹尼克则说是尼尔森公司（Nielsen），部分原因在于她的公司在快速适应数字时代上存在短板，无法像尼尔森那样准确测量不同环境下的收视率。（财富中文网）

    译者：清远

    Is YouTube ushering the era of Cable 2.0 – a world where channels go from hundreds to thousands and where real and professional content businesses are being built in the platform?

    The similarities between YouTube and the early days of cable are striking, said Lauren Zalaznick, executive vice president, media innovation and cross platform initiatives at NBC Universal. Speaking at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colo., Zalaznick said just like the early days of cable, the content on YouTube looks amateurish, the conventional wisdom is that advertisers will never go there in force, and people complain there is too much choice. "That was true 30 years ago," Zalaznick said, referring to the early days of the cable industry.

    The big difference?Money.Finances were "very strong at the beginning of the cable era," she said. In contrast, the content businesses being birthed on YouTube (GOOG) are on more shaky footing, she said. Yet, to ignore YouTube as a serious platform for content creators would be foolish. "When there is that much energy about audience consumption, you have to be there."

    Zalaznick's remarks echoed the themes of Fortune's next cover story, "How YouTube Changes Everything," which I wrote and will publish online on Thursday.

    Zalaznickshared the stage with Jim Lanzone, the president of CBS Interactive (CBS), who acknowledged that YouTube accounts for a fast growing portion of media consumption, especially for younger people. But Lanzone said that just like TV didn't kill radio and movies didn't kill TV, YouTube and online video is not about to damage the television business, which remains strong. "At the end of that day, in some way consumers are finding time in all of this," Lanzone said.

    Both Lanzone and Zalaznick are charged with leading their companies into the digital age. Both said digital is already mainstream at both companies and becoming so more every day.

    When asked which company they were most afraid of, Lanzone said Apple (AAPL), which is becoming an increasingly important gatekeeper for distribution on mobile devices. Zalaznick, for her part, singled out Nielsen, in part because of its own shortcomings in adapting quickly enough to the digital age so it can accurately measure viewership in different environments.