38 (Continued from Page 36) broadcasts, with revenue generated from Local Now’s VoD services. To all that, Cohan suggested that revenuesharing for the YouTube model “differs by partnership.” He went on to say: “For global audiences, it’s going to differ by market. But the content originator gets a significant share of the proceeds associated with the sale of advertising.” Turning to the topic of the future of the airways, Cohan said, “I don’t think broadcast goes away. I don’t think the airwaves go away. I think there’s now another series of ways to deliver or consume content that continue to grow.” Cohan went on to say that “broadcasters are feeling the pressure of change, and they are reacting differently.” Nonetheless, the American Force TV Network (AFNTV), the TV service of the U.S. forces in Europe, is going to change its delivery mode from satellite to the Internet Protocol model, offering both VoD and live programs. In addition, Cohan sees “consolidation as a form of synergy, which will bring economic benefits.” And to VideoAge’s contention that broadcasters are decreasing the amount of content (as opposed to in the past when broadcasters increased their content output to compete with home video), Cohan is of the opinion that “there is now more video content than there was yesterday. But it is not coming from broadcasters any more. It used to be that there were certain shows that that you defined as a streaming show, or a payTV show, or a broadcast show. Categories are going away. What makes a viewer select a show on a streaming service versus a show on broadcast is convenience and content discovery. It is a matter of helping people to find content.” Finding content is indeed a big modern issue and, in this regard, according to Jonathon Barbato, co-CEO of the Los Angeles-based FAST service provider BEC, Tubi, Pluto, and other, similar streaming aggregators are no longer interested in launching (or carrying) more FAST channels. Why? To Barbato, “it is getting too crowded out there and it is difficult to navigate the programming guide.” Cohan also added that “to create big broadcast TV shows now you need cultural events like a Super Bowl, a national election, or other cultural moments.” Ultimately, Cohan said, “it comes back to making great content, informing consumers about it, and delivering viewers to advertisers. Aren’t we simply trying to just make sure that we’re delivering compelling content everywhere where people want it and where it makes economic sense, that we’re monetizing that content, making sure it’s as relevant as possible to advertisers and partnerships, and that we’re also, in the end, taking ownership or having a stake in the success of that content?” (By Dom Serafini) VIDEOAGE October 2025 Content & Tech Let the premier international publication for buying and selling TV content assist you with all your distribution pieces.
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