User generated content has changed everything. Shows created for YouTube, TikTok and other democratized platforms are held in the same “can’t miss” regard that the biggest names in sports and news media used to be.
I don’t think that’s a bad thing because sports and sports content is supposed to be fun and frivolous. Not every debate or discussion of how a team should manage the salary cap needs to be so serious and packaged with graphics that look like they took hours to render. There is a place for goofballs to try things that may not work.
When companies that have resources start to play copycat though, we all suffer. People creating content for those companies are asked to do more with less. Viewers are asked to accept inferior versions of the same shows they fell in love with as suitable substitutes. Top to bottom, it makes sports media worse.
I have been thinking about this ever since ChatGPT was introduced and every hack thought they were the first to publish an article about AI written by AI.
Initially, I thought that there was no reason to be scared for jobs in the media industry. Particularly in sports media where so much of the value comes from unique personalities delivering their opinions, but then there was a shift in thinking at the top. I feel like a fool for not anticipating it, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Grainy video from webcams and tinny, hollow audio that came from using Airpods as microphones stuck around. Even if popular talents used their power to leverage not having to return to the studio, there was no effort given to make their home setups look and sound more professional. Truly excellent production quality wasn’t worth the effort, so “good enough” became good enough.
The lesson corporations took from the democratization of content wasn’t that they should be rethinking where they search for talent or what makes someone qualified to work in this industry. Many of them decided that quality isn’t worth the necessary investment.
Did none of these people see Ratatouille? It ends with the food critic Anton Ego realizing that a rat being a great chef is not impossible and rethinking his disdain for a famous chef’s motto “anyone can cook.”
“I realise only now do I truly understand what he meant,” Ego says in a voiceover closing that Pixar film. “Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.”
I have written before that user generated content makes it hard for something like Pardon the Interruption to have the value it once did. I still believe that is true. There are just too many options for me to find people that know more about my favorite teams and hear them talking about issues relevant to me.
That doesn’t mean the way to win over a new generation of fans is for ESPN to make their shows look like they’re filmed in someone’s home office, or to sit at a desk while they scroll through comment sections of other YouTube videos.
You can find this kind of thinking across all types of media. Actually, you can find it across all forms of entertainment.
Recently, I took my teenagers to see the new Captain America movie. It wasn’t as bad as reviews might suggest, but there’s clearly a different focus on storytelling quality at Disney than there used to be. This movie felt like it was made with a focus on what the Disney+ algorithm prioritizes.
Maybe the director was allowed to make whatever movie he wanted, and the writer was able to tell whatever story he wanted. Disney wanted a two hour movie, and made its cuts without considering how it would affect the overall story.
When everything’s a math problem, creativity and quality don’t matter. If creativity and quality don’t matter, then why employ anyone at all? Maybe that’s the point.
I recently read Alex Sherman’s report that Disney executives are obsessed with YouTube and the threat it poses to its business, particularly ESPN. That’s why when ESPN Flagship launches, there’s a very real chance it will have a place for user generated content.
I don’t hate the idea. In fact, if ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro really wants his OTT version of the network to truly be a gamechanger, I think it’s a wise move. Nothing would be a more drastic shift from the linear TV model to the digital age than saying that ESPN is not going program 24 hours of live, original content every day.
Sure, some of the very biggest stars will still have their shows produced by ESPN, but is an hour of PTI really better than thirty minutes of PTI and time for your audience to explore what else the platform has to offer?
The idea has merit, but there are two things that ESPN and Disney need to do to make sure they create something that is worth the reported $25-30 monthly price tag and does not hurt their own brand with this new approach.
First, if you want to lure the best talent away from YouTube, you need to pay them like YouTube. Offer content creators drawing a real audience the same 50/50 ad revenue split and the opportunities to make even more money with shopping integrations and selling their own sponsorships.
Next, Disney cannot let those user generated shows shape the entire visual identity of ESPN. Pat McAfee, Stephen A. Smith and Mike Greenberg get Disney-level paychecks. Their shows should have Disney-level production. They should look different and feel special compared to the stuff anyone can upload to the platform. Otherwise, what value will ESPN Flagship offer to both the audience and creators over the platforms they already know, especially considering that YouTube and TikTok can be accessed for free?
A lot of user generated content is good. Some of it is great. All of it deserves respect. None of it should set the bar for what is acceptable from big companies in the media industry. If we want to sell the idea that professionally produced content has a higher value, then we cannot be racing to the bottom just because amateurs spend less money.
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Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
