Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Mobile content platforms: Who is watching the gatekeepers?

02/10/2018

-- --

Facebook

Twitter

Google

Pinterest

SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: The exponential rise of mobile-driven (and funded) content platforms is starting to have some interesting, and potentially problematic side-effects in terms of selection (curatorship), censorship and the freedom of creative expression.

As the emergence of short form content as an industry driver becomes more and more clear, producers find themselves in a complex situation in terms of what they produce and how it is distributed.

-- --

Social media, and of course YouTube, have been the dominant platforms for sharing and monetising this content over the past decade. Brand and digital agencies have also looked to short form producers to produce impactful content around specific narratives and briefs.

Short form content then could be broken down into two main categories; firstly, creative driven short films are often developed on the hopes of securing a place and accolades at film festivals, going viral on social media or similar platforms and possibly promoting the career of the producer/filmmaker or securing funding for a full feature or TV series.

A second category of commercially driven content has been driven by brands and agencies looking to capitalise on the power and impact of social media. The prevalence of this content has opened up lucrative career paths for many young producers, but ultimately falls within the world of advertising.

The reality for purely creative driven short form producers has been that apart from niche categories at film festivals, and social media sharing, opportunities to drive or monetise their content were slim.

However, as mobile platforms start to become the primary platform for more and more people to watch any kind of video content, creative short form is now taking its place as the most lucrative and essential format on the market.

The massive hunger now being shown particularly by mobile operators for short content however must not only be seen as a positive driver of the industry. While it is true that the opportunities for exposure and monetisation, especially for young African producers, are real, there is a cost to this process.

The biggest area of concern, as I see it, is in terms of selection and curation. For all its ills and algorithms, social media, at least to a certain extent, and in certain countries is somewhat democratic. Commercial content often goes viral due to massive budgets and boosts, but often, quirky and original producer uploaded content manages to go global based purely on word of mouth and sharing.

Mobile content platforms however are heavily curated, moderated and gate-kept. Is anyone asking who exactly within the mobile platforms is selecting the content, on what criteria and for what markets? Clearly its all about expected profit. The content selected by any mobile platform, especially the content promoted within those platforms, is going to be that which is determined to gather the most eyeballs for as long as possible.

The gatekeepers of these mobile content platforms then are often found within the marketing departments - and content is selected often not for any kind of creative originality but rather on projected returns or within very narrow prescriptive norms.

As these platforms become more dominant destinations for content consumption amongst consumers, one has to consider the role of these all-powerful gatekeepers and what it means for the future of creative and perhaps even controversial content. Mobile platforms will inherently shy away from political content, or any content that offends certain governments, think Google in China. So if mobile platforms become the main source of news and information for an entire generation it is essential to look at the impact that this highly curated environment will have on both the viewers and the producers.

Already many bemoan the apparent censorship and narrowcasting of content on social media, but this will be exponentially increased when mobile operators control both the access and the content itself.

Producers will find themselves having to make more of the same - shorter and shorter bits of content aimed to please the most number of viewers without offending or taking any risks. This is the kind of content that will be rewarded financially leading to a process of self-censorship within the industry.

So while we celebrate the income and opportunities that arise from the growth of mobile content platforms - let's also be mindful of the potential pitfalls in terms of creative, free and fair expression.

Facebook

Twitter

Google

Pinterest

-- --
LINK: http://www.screenafrica.com/2018/10/02/digital/business-digital/mobile...
See more stories from screenafrica

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

02/09/2026

AgileTV and Fiend MTS Complete CDN Watermarking Integration to Fast-Track Anti-Piracy Protection for Operators

Bilbao - 3rd September 2026 -AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV and vi...

02/09/2026

Agentic AI in the content supply chain

Why agentic media supply chains need experience design built around visibility, reversibility and human authority When AI can generate a functional interface ...

02/09/2026

Gracenote study: 85% of sports fans want TV home screens to show when and where to watch favorite teams

Six-country survey finds 26% of sports fans frequently unable to determine where...

02/09/2026

Manfrotto Showcases New Video Support Solutions at IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

Mediagenix Rebrands Spideo as Mediagenix Curation

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

Creative Technology Group Founder Graham Andrews Sets Year-End Exit

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

San Antonio Spurs, DAZN Ink Exclusive Streaming Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

DPA Launches 6388 CORE Headset Microphone With Shifted Ac...

KOKKEDAL, DENMARK, SEPTEMBER 1, 2026 DPA Microphones announces its new 6388 CORE Headset Microphone, a high-performance directional headset designed for dema...

02/09/2026

Pliant Technologies Spotlights CrewCom CXD 32CF Dante AES...

Pliant Technologies will highlight its CrewCom CXD 32CF 32x32 Dante /AES67 Digital Audio Network Interface, a powerful connectivity solution designed to expand ...

02/09/2026

iWedia Enhances Teatro Pulse with Edge AI Self-Healing an...

iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced two enhancements to Teatro Pulse, its end-to-end TV service operation...

02/09/2026

Signiant Accelerates More Than File Transfers at IBC2026

Signiant, trusted by the media industry for accelerated content movement for more than 20 years, will showcase the latest evolution of the Signiant Platform at ...

02/09/2026

Calrec Argo M Powers Cloudbass Next Generation OB Fleet

With a contractual agreement to supply a leading UK sports broadcaster with outside broadcast services for 104 football matches per season over the next four ye...

02/09/2026

IBC2026 puts sport at the winning end of media innovation

IBC2026 will put sport firmly at the centre of the global media and entertainment technology conversation with the strongest sports showing in the event's h...

02/09/2026

PTZOptics Demonstrates the Power of Intelligent Multicame...

PTZOptics will bring a hands-on showcase of intelligent video production to IBC2026 (11-14 September, RAI Amsterdam), with demonstrations spanning new camera te...

02/09/2026

OOONA Launches OOONA Go

OOONA, a global provider of professional management and production tools for the media localization industry, today announced the launch of OOONA Go, a ready-to...

02/09/2026

EON Media launches AI media activation and monetization s...

EON Media will make its European debut at IBC2026 (September 11-14, RAI Amsterdam) in the show's Future Tech Zone (Hall 14.FT5). The company is launching it...

02/09/2026

Frequency Defines the Intelligent Channel at IBC2026

Frequency, the engine behind many of the worlds leading streaming television channels, will demonstrate at IBC2026 how integrating intelligence throughout chann...

02/09/2026

FOR-A Introduces Go Vertical AiDi and AiDi Sports Hub Und...

On-device AI platform gives broadcasters and content creators purpose-built tools for real-time vertical video production and AI-enhanced sports coverage...

02/09/2026

Shotoku To Introduce Aura E2 PTZ Elevator At IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

AJA to Launch New openGear SDI/Fiber Conversion Cards at IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

GoPro to Merge with Starman Optical

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

AIMS, EBU Completes Latest IPMX Certification Testing

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

EVS To Showcase New Neuron 4X Processor At IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

Sony Launches 100+ FAST Channels on Playstation 5 in the U.S.

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

Canon Unveils PTZ Camera Firmware Updates

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

EverPass Media Expands NFL Offering with Netflix Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/09/2026

Imagine Communications Unveils Latest Control Portfolio A...

Next-Generation Freeform Control Surfaces Lay the Foundation for AI-Enabled Media Operations At IBC2026 (Sept. 11 14, RAI Amsterdam, Stand #1.B73), Imagine Com...

02/09/2026

Friedrichstadt-Palast Relies on Riedel for IP-Centered Pr...

Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin, the world's largest theater stage, has modernized its backstage production infrastructure with a comprehensive Riedel solut...

02/09/2026

WiM to Host Reel Forward Production Conference at CSU Los...

Women in Media announces that it will host the two-day Reel/Forward in-person conference devoted to navigating today's production scene. Guests can enjoy pa...

02/09/2026

Teradek and New Media AV Expand Partnership with Full Liv...

The expanded partnership brings Teradek's Live Production solutions to New Media AV's European dealer and integrator network, opening new opportunities ...

02/09/2026

QuickLink Expands StudioEdge With WhatsApp Cisco Webex an...

QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, announces a major expansion to its award winning Studio...

02/09/2026

Vipe by BCNEXXT Gives Foxtel a New Playout Model for its...

BCNEXXT, the developers of the advanced playout platform Vipe, today announced that premium entertainment brand Foxtel has selected Vipe to underpin playout for...

02/09/2026

HOT Telecommunications supercharges localisation efficien...

SubtitleNEXT helps HOT Telecom's subtitling team keep a cool head with reliable QC capabilities Profuz Digital, global developer of digital media and local...

02/09/2026

Case Study - Mission Digital Strengthens Battery Safety w...

Case Study: Mission Digital Strengthens Battery Safety with Safe-ion As productions become increasingly dependent on battery-powered equipment, the safe storag...

02/09/2026

New design strategy expands nanoparticle vaccine approach to influenza viruses

LA JOLLA, CA-Influenza viruses constantly shapeshift to evade recognition by the immune system. This shapeshifting occurs in critical proteins like hemagglutini...

02/09/2026

New AI algorithm could improve detection and prediction of heart diseases

LA JOLLA, CA-Clinicians often use a medical test called a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) to diagnose heart problems, which uses electrodes placed on the chest ...

02/09/2026

Where milliseconds matter: Scripps Research scientists build new ML model to predict protein movements essential for biological function

LA JOLLA, CA-Proteins may look like rigid molecular structures, but inside our c...

02/09/2026

Lidl steps into the ring for Katie Taylor fight on RT

RT has today announced a major media partnership with Lidl around Katie Taylor's historic Croke Park clash with Flora Pili on Saturday, September 5th. The...

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: Bridge Technologies Adds Blackmagic IP10 Support to VB440 Production Probe

Bridge Technologies will announce at IBC2026 (Booth 1.A71) that its VB440 produc...

01/09/2026

DAZN to Acquire EverPass Media to Expand U.S. Commercial Venue Distribution

DAZN has announced an agreement to acquire EverPass Media, a commercial sports distribution platform serving bars, restaurants, hotels, and other venues in the ...

01/09/2026

Kalshi Named Official Prediction Market Partner of the US Open

The USTA and Kalshi have announced a multi-year partnership making Kalshi the Official Prediction Market Partner of the US Open, beginning with the 2026 US Open...

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: MASV to Showcase Sports Video Transfer Workflows

MASV will exhibit at IBC2026 (Booth 5.B40, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14). CTO Majed Alhajry will appear on a panel session, A Tale of Two Feeds: Automation o...

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: FingerWorks Telestrators Partners with Broadcast Rental for European Distribution

FingerWorks Telestrators has announced a partnership with Broadcast Rental to ex...

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: FOR-A Expands viztrick AiDi into Two Dedicated Products

FOR-A has announced the expansion of viztrick AiDi into two dedicated products: Go Vertical! AiDi and AiDi Sports Hub. Developed by Nippon TV and delivered glob...

01/09/2026

Sony Launches Live TV on PS5 with Free Ad-Supported Streaming in the U.S.

Sony Pictures Television has launched Live TV on PS5, a free ad-supported streaming experience available to PS5 players in the United States. The service is acc...

01/09/2026

Friedrichstadt-Palast Installs Riedel Production Infrastructure

Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin has installed a Riedel production infrastructure spanning video, intercom, control, and I/O across the venue, implemented in col...

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: Arkona Partners with BFE for Arkona-Branded Control Panels

Arkona technologies GmbH has announced an OEM partnership with BFE Studio und Medien Systeme GmbH to offer arkona-branded control panels for its SDI-IP routing ...