Original post on Medium: https://medium.com/tvtwocom/are-you-there-larry-king-its-us-tv-two-the-future-of-television-cb8f4772bb9b)
Ok, so this reads like an open letter to the King. Larry King. And it is. But it’s more than that. It’s a call to arms, aimed at anyone who wants to change the way broadcast TV works, and create a fairer, more value-driven ecosystem. Intrigued? Read on.
Mr King. It’s a real honor to have your attention. We’re big fans of yours (anyone who accidentally upstages Jerry Seinfeld gets our vote — but let’s not get into that…).
Before we go all Wayne’s World on you (!) allow us to introduce ourselves: we’re Jan and Philipp; two guys from Germany looking to shake things up in the world of broadcast TV, through our startup, TV–TWO.
No, we’re not producers, writers, or journalists. We’re not even actors. We’re blockchain entrepreneurs.
We better explain…
In short, we care about the future of television — and few people know broadcast media better than you. You started out in radio before TV came calling. And after a quarter century on CNN, instead of retiring, you took your work online and on-demand with Ora TV.
You’ve seen the media landscape shift and segue, and your career has evolved with these trends, which we commend you for. But what’s next for TV? In an age of ‘untethering’ and online viewing it might seem as though broadcast is coming to an end.
We can’t deny the successes of paid services like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO. Heck we love ’em too! And YouTube’s dominance is, well, there for all to see. So, could it really be that over the next few years every single show will be part of a closed network?
Probably not if the Rupert Murdochs of this world have their way. But TV networks’ abuse of power is yet another reason people are switching off broadcast. They’re tired of generic, bland content designed to appeal to mass audiences, and they’re sick of in-your-face ads selling everything to everyone.
If you think about it, it’s not TV that’s wrong; the way it offers value is failing. Networks charge advertisers a fortune to batch blast their ads to all and sundry; they then fund a select group of producers to make the same vanilla shows in order to keep the ad revenues high. And the audience? Well their needs come last… right?
Not if we can help it!
As a broadcaster, you know the importance of connecting with your audience; to understand what they want to know — and also what they didn’t know they wanted to know. See, that’s one of the things we love about broadcast TV; the ability to ‘stumble and discover’.
TV audiences don’t just watch specific programs all the time. Sometimes they accidentally find something new that’s just ‘on’. Something intriguing that grabs their attention; that lures them to consider a new perspective on an issue they knew very little about before. That’s the beauty of broadcast TV. Without it, the ‘surprise’ element is taken away.
So how can we fix this?
With a platform that’s been staring us in the face for the last few years — the internet-connected Smart TV — and a new technology that’s already disrupting a number of other out-of-sync industries: the blockchain.
At TV-TWO, our mission is to use the Ethereum blockchain to create a value-driven ecosystem that benefits advertisers, viewers, and content creators. We’re doing this via a Smart TV app that works in tandem with broadcast TV.
Basically our algorithm-powered tech learns what each individual viewer enjoys watching, and tailors the TV-TWO app’s output to their personal preferences; meaning everyone sees the kind of shows they enjoy. We offer a video stream where sponsored and organic messages blend to a create a personalized content mix.
Not only that, but we can use this anonymized data to serve each viewer ads that relate to that content. So, sports fans like you might see ads for, let’s say, events at Dodger Stadium, for example (though you’re probably on the guest list for everything that goes on there, right?) or baseball memorabilia.
This is the beauty of having a decentralized network, no single party controls or has oversight of each individual’s data. Which brings us to our next point. Because the playing field is much more equal, there’s no middleman taking a cut and holding the rest of us to ransom — which means the money advertisers put in reaches the right audience. And the best part? Because no-one ‘owns’ the network, the money invested into advertising is passed to the viewer.
That’s right, viewers get paid for watching TV!
Now here’s the thing; we’re not just talking about money changing hands here. TV-TWO uses tokens; ERC-20 tokens which are pegged to the cryptocurrency, Ether. Ether, as you may know, is second only to Bitcoin (for the moment) and is the blockchain of choice for a whole host of new technologies thanks to its smart contract functionality, which ensures the secure transferral of value — which is why it’s perfect for us.
So, advertisers use tokens to buy ads, get a better deal because they know the audience watching is interested in what they’re selling, and viewers get a share for watching each ad.
But what about creating better TV shows?
Well, Netflix and co. have some great shows. But they charge viewers a fee; which is how they’re able to fund better quality programming. We have a different solution at TV-TWO. The money that viewers earn from watching ads is partly passed onto content creators in our ecosystem. This gives up and coming directors and producers an opportunity to get their new show ideas funded and on-screen — giving audiences what they want.
We’d love to have someone with your broadcast experience and passion on board.
We’re lucky enough to have a whole team of seasoned tech entrepreneurs advising us, but we’d really like you to be part of our mission too. That’s the reason we’re addressing this letter to you: because few others get what’s happening at the intersection of TV and technology.
So… what do you say? Considering there are some 700 million Smart TVs in the world, you have to admit there’s opportunity here.
We’ll leave you with some additional info to think on, but if you have any questions at all, feel free to reach out: jan.hofste@tv-two.com or philpp.schulz@tv-two.com
With our good wishes and utmost respect,
Jan and Philipp
Keen to find out more about we’re doing at TV-TWO? Take a look at our whitepaper.
Mark your calendars… the TV-TWO ICO starts on Saturday February 24, 2018, at 1pm GMT. For more info, check out our FAQ section, subscribe to our newsletter, and don’t forget to follow the latest news on Telegram, Twitter (