What is all the fuss about Periscope and Meerkat?
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao faced off in what many were saying was the fight of the century. Meanwhile outside the ring a new fight, that may well redefine the start of this century, was going on.
Periscope and Meerkat, both inventions of 2015, have turned pay per view into the right-to-view anything, as they turn your phone into a live broadcasting unit.
Why pay to go to a pub to watch a screen, when you can watch something being streamed from anywhere in the world in the comfort of your own home?
Now of course there are social reasons for attending the fight or going to your favourite bar. It's unlikely that live attendance will drop off that much, as atmosphere and people watching is often more interesting than watching many sports (cricket, baseball anyone?).
However what will change is the so-called "pay per view" market. I'd hate to be in that space right now. Yesterday, I tuned in out of curiosity on Periscope. The kind dude in Mexico that was filming his digital TV screen, in what turned out to be a surprisingly good picture, had over 1,200 followers at one time!
That was just one instance. Live streaming of paid streams was going on all over the world.
Live streaming is changing and is about to change many events that are sold for millions as exclusives. The exclusivity drives up the prices paid by broadcasters and the wages of the athletes indirectly.
Are we about to see the collapse of over inflated professional sports wages?
Personally I cannot wait for the Summer Olympics in Rio next year just to see all the amazing angles of content we lucky viewers are going to be able to select from.
Certainly Olympic Committees who have been trying to control social media for the athletes in London and Beijing are going to have to wake up and embrace technology this time. There is no avoiding it.
What a great way to stay on top of the Real Estate industry. We are now close to being able to log on to every auction that we wish to see. Savvy agents should be all over this as it breaks down international and interstate barriers.
We are just ramping up our podcast, which is now going to become a live educational TV show as well. Ripper.
Suddenly everyone is a reporter. Have a few drinks, grab your phone, find a famous person and tell the world.
Suddenly content can go out to the world - to all those people that wanted to make it but couldn't, or didn't want to, go. Now we can get the keynote from our desk without the fancy ticket price - another issue that businesses will have to face.
Is it possible that Periscope and Meerkat can suddenly become Crimestoppers? Preventing crime because people know they are being streamed to the world? Suddenly all of the viewers become witnesses. Wow, what a legal mess that is!
Hotels, restaurants, tourist venues, this is a great way to check out the weather and how the world is in your part of the globe.
Right from where it happens. On the scene exclusives suddenly are in the reach of everyone with a phone. This is bad news for news stations already hit by the challenges of the digital age.
Periscope and Meerkat are currently the talk of the global town, and for good reason too.
We are not sure where it's headed, but we're very sure that the 7 ways to disrupt the world with Periscope or Meerkat is just the very beginning of something big.
Is this a big issue? You bet. Check out the article from Forbes if you wish to discover more.