Twit.TV: Now Advertising Itself
May 7, 2019
Technology centric podcasts are everywhere. One assumes that listenership continues to rise. Numbers about downloads, partial listens, and complete listens are tough to obtain. DarkCyber believes that the hyperbole may be outpacing ears and eye balls. One possible radar blip is the advertisement on TechCrunch for Twit.tv. Twit is the outlet for Leo LaPorte, a former TV personality and current radio host in the US. The Twit network features a number of programs. These range from the somewhat pedantic Security Now to the breezy This Week in Tech.
Here’s the ad which DarkCyber spotted on May 6, 2019:
The ad links to the Twit.tv home page. The page provides a listing of the programs available on iTunes and other outlets. Video programs are findable on YouTube.
Like other podcasts, the Twit.tv programs often feature “talk overs” in which two or more guests chatter simultaneously. The experience can make it difficult to figure out who is saying what. Once characteristic of the Twit.tv programs is the repetition: Ads for products are ones that Mr. LaPorte uses, the guests are the “best”, and themes such as “Apple does not invite Twit experts to their events.”
Several questions arise:
- Is the podcast “revolution” having an impact on the reach of the Twit shows? A legal podcast disappeared earlier this year, probably because of the erratic scheduling and competition from programs from law firms like Steptoe & Johnson.
- Has the format of the shows lost its magnetism as different types of interactive discussions focused on technology become available; for example, the peculiar Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway program which is often insightful but more frequently just strange?
- Have the personal idiosyncrasies of Twit management impaired the organization’s ability to keep its program formats and approach fresh?
- How will the advertising to get listeners (viewers) to sell ads on programs not pulling an audience in an organic way? To recover the cost of advertising on popular sites, won’t Twit have to charge more for its advertising? Won’t advertisers just go to the sites on which Twit buys ads?
The trajectory of Twit.tv may be a glimpse of the future of personality centric “networks.” DarkCyber sees the ad for the Twit.tv network as an important decision. Advertising for ears and eye balls when the advertiser itself sells ads can be expensive. Will the ads produce downloads? One thing is certain: Ads can be expensive, and their ability to deliver results is often a gamble.
Stephen E Arnold, May 7, 2019
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