Mobile Content Starts to Fill the New Medium

We’ve been talking a lot at the New Politics Institute about the technological development of mobile phones morphing into mobile media platforms. The iPhone launch this month will simply kick that tool side into high gear. But the other side of the equation, content, needs to rapidly evolve to fit this new space. The content side has been lagging somewhat, which is to be expected as the new tech gets positioned in place. However, content is fast catching up.

The New York Times had a nice story this weekend that catches people up the excitement around mobile content. Simon mentioned it briefly, but I want to just add my two cents. The pattern for mobile content is following the classic trajectory. Niche content makers, like ESPN, go first and break the new ground, trying new forms of short content. The general TV content makers, like the big broadcast networks, go next, trying their old long form shows, but also trying mobisodes, as Fox calls them. And then, after the private sectors does enough trial and error, the political world will wade in. Watch for some of the presidentials to go beyond texting experiments very soon.

The other interesting side to the piece was the generational aspect. The graphic in there tells a lot, and explains why the private sector is so interested in his space. The Millennial Generation, those in their 20s and younger, live on their phones, and don’t particularly use traditional TV. So the next great market may well be pierced through the tiny screen rather than the big one. For more on this young generation, watch out for the release of a new NPI report later this week on “The Progressive Politics of the Millennial Generation.”

Peter Leyden