Sony, YouTubers, and Digital Media Part 2: Do YouTubers Belong Outside of YouTube?

Last week I talked about a video YouTuber Joshua Ovenshire, Jovenshire, made about concerning Cable, Digital Media. To recap, Ovenshire made a case that due to PlayStation Vue, we might see the final nail in the coffin for cable as its service can offer channels you want for a cheaper service. What I had to say about is that the service Vue, will not be the cable killer. Cable still has its hooks in everything that even with the popularity of the Netflixes and Hulus it won't be going away. We have a service similar service compared to Vue, Sling TV and that did nothing to Comcast. Vue could be the potential to something, but we won't see the death of Cable anytime soon.

     In the second half in the video Ovenshire made an opinion that as Digital Media is growing and TV is dying, channel executives will start needing YouTubers, Vine stars, and other internet celebrities in order to create content for their shows online. I know considering that Ovenshire being a YouTuber himself he would think this way. 

      I'm not going to deny that YouTubers and YouTube are done and are doing things with networks. Grace Helbig has a talk show on E! Timothydelaghetto has been on the comedy improv show Wild N Out and Epic Meal Time have a show on FYI . It has always been like this since Fred had his deal with Nickelodeon to do a series and a few movies. However I don't know how he came to the conclusion that as channels make the transition online equals a high demand for YouTubers and Vine stars to work for these channels.

      There is still a big stigma with how networks and Hollywood is willing to work with internet celebrities as they still see them as regular people that just film themselves on camera doing whatever and upload it to YouTube. And there is a valid reason why. There hasn't been a YouTuber or a Vine star who has found any success outside of YouTube. Epic Meal Time haven't had good luck with shows outside of YouTube as they had a couple with G4 and Revision3. Both fell through. Hopefully Epic Meal Empire won't? Helbig's show is on thin ice as it is being proven time and time again on E! unless you are a Kardashian, or if your talk show doesn't have the words Chelsea Handler on it nobody will be willing to watch it. Also Lucas Cruikshank, Fred, after all the deals he's done as Fred is right back to where he started, on YouTube. Not acting as Fred, just doing vlogs. These people have millions of people watching their content on YouTube but are simply failing to get these fans and viewers to follow them outside of YouTube or enough for them to transition into something beyond YouTube.
     Again there is no connection that as content is migrating to digital formats that these companies are going to rely on YouTubers and Viners. There is the fact as there have been deals where we've been getting shows premiering on Hulu and Netflix, due to the audience that use these formats, these networks and people who have been doing online content have been doing the same things they have always done by hiring talent, overlooking internet celebrities all together. There might be deals in the future, but not in the way or not as many as Ovenshire thinks there will be.

What are your thoughts?

        

Sony, YouTubers, and Digital Media Part 1: Is Cable Truly Done For?

     YouTuber Joshua Ovenshire A.K.A The Jovenshire, from Smosh Games, made a video concerning the recent announcement Sony made at E3 this year. Starting soon, Sony announced that it would be expanding its service, PlayStation Vue to more cities, Los Angeles and San Francisco. PlayStation Vue is a service allowing its users to purchase single cable channels and stream on the PlayStation 4. In the video, he states that PlayStation Vue will be a big deal as, what he claims it will change media forever. Ovenshire is acknowledging the current trend with digital media. It is popular with the younger demographic as this generation is starting to prefer watch content online compared to watching shows on TV. There are less and less young people watching TV. But the question is will this move on Sony be or will it be the beginning of the end of cable?
     First of all, cable isn't going anywhere. It is true that people are preferring to watch shows online, companies like Time Warner and Comcast have their hands in things have they have in so deep that not even Superman can loosen their grip. Cable stations are, slowly but surely, adapting to digital formats and have been doing so in order to compete with the Netflix and the Hulus. Ironically, cable companies are working with these services like Hulu in order to get people who prefer watching things online to watch their channels. Also, the offer Sony is making to its customers isn't new. It is very similar to Sling TV. Sling TV, like what Sony is hoping to do, is an online TV service the offers channels for $20 a month, cutting out cable. Sling has barely made a dent competing with Comcast's second quarter earnings. Sony may have a harder time as not that many people are buying PS4s for TV.
     Ovenshire might be on to something. Eventually we might see cable go, but it's going anywhere soon. Vue service offers more channels than Sling, yet Sling is cheaper with its $20 compared to Vue's $50, but I highly doubt that PlaySation Vue will be the cable slayer, especially considering how Sling has fared and the number of people who buy PlayStation 4s to do things other than playing games. For something to make people who really jump from its gonna have to be a much better service provider.

The Netflix Legend of Zelda Series: A Good Idea?

     News had just hit us that reportedly NetFlix and Nintendo are both working on making a live-action series based off of The Legend of Zelda games. As soon as word got around of this supposedly happening the interwebs was set ablaze. I, along with mostly everyone else, am very excited about this possibly happening. People have been praying to the gods of Nintendo to make something like a movie or anything else with The Legend of Zelda since I can remember. Even before the Super Mario Bros. movie was even being considered. Just as I am excited about this possibly happening I am also curious about whether this could work.

     First of all there is the major part of the Zelda games that NetFlix could have problems with: the source material of the games. If they decide to follow the source material, it could be hard to take stuff from the games and transfer it to this live action series. Especially if you consider that the entire Zelda series spans not only a few millennia, but also three alternate timelines. Which timeline will this series be based on and will seasons be set hundreds of years apart? It is possible that the series could set a new timeline where things like a Majora's Mask could be a bit influential for a season and the events in Twilight Princess could occur in the next.

     Another issue could be a royal pain: Princess Zelda. In the games Zelda is the damsel in distress and it is up to Link to save her. This could work in the first season, but what about the next seasons? It could be hard to write for Zelda as it wouldn't be that much development for her because she is often captured. Zelda is one of the few video game characters from the old days that have evolved from being just a helpless woman that completely depends on the hero to save her to having a bit of a backbone and can actually hold her own and even assist Link in the final battle, but having her not being held captive could, if not written correctly, could just have her be a prop.
     This hasn't been Nintendo's first go with a Legend of Zelda series and with live-action. Of course we remember, hopefully, the Legend of Zelda cartoon series and again, there's the Super Mario Bros, movie. Both haven't really been good. The Legend of Zelda cartoon is just this big campy mess and the Super Mario Bros movie has been considered to be one of the worst video game movies of all time. I doubt that the live-action Zelda series will be that bad, but hopefully the people at Nintendo and NetFlix have done their homework. It will be interesting to see how this will all look.

Do you think a live-action Zelda series is a good idea?