Are you going to subscribe to SDCC On Demand?

14 MARCH 2016

You may remember back when CCI announced a partnership with Lionsgate to bring you subscription content - essentially, the joy of SDCC consumed right from your most comfortable sofa. No standing in line, no heartrending badge sale, no exorbitant hotel bills. That's been the dream, anyway.


Today we got a closer look at what the reality might be. Like....

• Roundtable discussion shows.
• The Kings of Con show, inspired by real Con life.
• A weekly movie talk in partnership with Collider. 
• A reality show about geek fashion company Her Universe that follows contestants in the SDCC fashion show.
• A pop culture news show and late night talk show produced by G4 star Kevin Pereira.
• An all-female pop culture panel.
• A science entertainment program starring illusionist Jason Latimer "who explores breakthrough technologies capable of achieving his seemingly impossible feats of magic with real science."
• Programs on comics, science, gaming and interviews.

So no - it may not be the literal Con experience delivered to your living room, but it sounds like it will offer the feel and flavor of Comic-Con. That's the hope, anyway. More details - like cost - will help people know what to expect and how to feel about it, no doubt.

Peeling back the curtain on CCI

28 JUNE 2015




Something interesting happened this weekend: The New York Times turned its shrewd eye - and somewhat caustic prose - on CCI.

Articles about San Diego Comic-Con abound, of course. But little information is to be found on the people who run it - people who can be maddeningly opaque. There's been little communication between SDCC attendees and the organizers with so much power over their Comic-Con experience, and the frustrations of attendees tend to go unanswered. The type of cursory feedback mechanisms offered by most companies - such as post-event surveys - is nonexistent with CCI; there's barely any transparency into who decides what or why certain decisions are made, and attendees are largely left in the dark as a result. When sales go painfully awry - as with Hotel Day this year - the general response from CCI is silence. Given the various pains associated with SDCC (badge sales, lines, tech meltdowns) this has driven part of the distaste expressed online toward both the convention and the people behind it.

That said, CCI has stepped up their game in the last few years. They started a blog, they have Talkback panels at their Cons, and they've been sharing more information on their issues with staying in San Diego. They create helpful content like badge sale videos. David Glanzer was candid in a recent interview with the SDCC Unofficial Blog. Personally I'd like to see them share more, embrace change and be less guarded - but it can't be denied they are trying to meet attendee needs while becoming slightly more open.

Which is how we got this revelatory article from NYT. A few tidbits:

• CCI "has a longstanding reluctance to discuss its affairs or even, for the most part, to share more than rudimentary details about its leaders." You don't say. They behave "less like a business or conventional nonprofit than a collective of shadowy guardians." But we know they have about 3 dozen paid employees and a volunteer membership of a few hundred people. Interestingly, "the nonprofit's directors have no professional interest in the comic or fantasy business."

• One of the biggest organizational challenges: "Are competing conventions misappropriating the Comic-Con brand?" So not what I would have called a top challenge, given the convention center expansion and hotel issues. And "Will it be able to protect its fans-first image?" Right there you see the breakdown between the organization and the attendees. The organization is worried more about its image than attendee experience - which is why they do not, in fact, have a "fans-first image." Though I'm sure they genuinely want attendees to be happy.

• The article finds a way to reveal CCI's net worth: "Will anything be done with the group's nest egg which included net assets of about 16.4 million in mid-2013 and has been growing at perhaps 3 million a year since?" Smooth, New York Times.

• The oft-discussed issue of the hotels raising rates got a number attached: "450 or more a night." Ouch.

• The convention center charges CCI 150K for the Con, 65% less than non-discounted rent.

• Comic book artists get free trade show space. Small press publishers get a discount, while studios and "paraphernalia salesman" pay big sums for their booths. BUT studios get that sweet Hall H space for free. Well, kind of; it's the extras that have a price tag. Just using the wraparound movie screens costs 600K per hour.

• The Exhibit Hall brings in more than 4.6 million for CCI. All in all, they take in 15 million from their conventions and have expenses about of 12 million.

• The lawsuit against Salt Lake Comic Con was not unique. Warning letters and licensing agreements have been used with more than a dozen conventions that "have used some form of the Comic-Con name" which was trademarked only in 2007.

• The VOD service with Lionsgate will offer movies, shorts, new series and archival footage. It kicks off next April.

What didn't get addressed: the possibility of a streaming service, which is rapidly becoming a hot topic. That alone would be an incredible revenue item. But on the whole, this was a great article that should be of interest to any attendee who's wanted to peel back the SDCC curtain and see who's at the controls.

• Photo

More news on Comic-Con's VOD service

24 JUNE 2015





Months after hearing CCI had teamed with Lionsgate to offer a subscription-based Video on Demand service, Comic Book Resources announced today that the service will be headed by Seth Ladermen, who has an impressive track record of creating major digital communities. (Such as turning Nerdist's original podcast and site into millions of users and dozens of podcasts.)

Two interesting facts for Comic-Con fans - and not just attendees:

• The Independent Film Festival will now be a year-round online event. I wonder what impact that will have on the SDCC event.
• The channel will offer "access to exclusive and original short-form content, access to Lionsgate films and TV series along with projects from other studios and archived footage pulled from the convention's 45 year history."

The second item is a bit disappointing as it suggests that current panels won't be streamed. YouTube is rife with old SDCC panels; I think fans were hoping that this service meant that even if they didn't get a badge, they could still see the Doctor Who panel, sans footage.

There's a whole lot of press release talk in this quote: "We intend to differentiate our service through the depth and diversity of its content, the quality of its curation and the joys of discovering its rich mix of programming. Seth is ideally qualified to create a lineup that delights fans and newcomers alike with a combination of beloved treasures, thrilling discoveries and unique original content designed exclusively to satisfy our audiences."

So while this channel sounds interesting, I don't know that it's going to actually bring Comic-Con to people who can't go. Will it keep SDCC alive for fans throughout the year? No doubt. But as for how it interplays with current Cons, we'll just have to see. Of course, this doesn't launch until 2016 - and a lot could certainly change by then.


 

 

SDCCTV is on its way to you

9 APRIL 2015



In a world where everything must be recorded, distributed and marketed, San Diego Comic-Con content will soon be yours to access and control. That's right - CCI and Lionsgate are teaming up to bring you archival Con footage, movies, TV shows, panels and other "fan culture" material.

We don't know what it will be called yet or when it will go live, but we do know it's a subscription-based platform. I personally know that it's not just for "fanboys" despite Hollywood Reporter's lazy clichéd writing. I'd also guess that this year's Con will be involved since they're finally announcing it now after 2 years of collaboration. But because "45 years of Comic-Con history" was mentioned, it sounds like vintage panels will be available too. That could be highly entertaining.

If you're thirsting for a quote, I have one for you. "The fan base for the kind of films and television series showcased at Comic-Con has grown exponentially and a subscription video-on-demand service is the ideal platform to capture the magic and excitement of the Comic-Con experience year-round as well as the perfect vehicle for Comic-Con fans to discover new content." Despite Comic-Con being in the quote 3 times, that's from Lionsgate president of worldwide TV and digital distribution Jim Packer.

Here's something I didn't know: there's already a CONtv, launched by the producer of Wizard World and Cinedigm. But while the two services might sound similar, SDCCTV (not its real name) will obviously bring a different experience to the table.

Will there be any special SDCC recordings or events this summer? The possibilities are endless; you could have a cosplayer soap opera, a grimly tense MTG tournament, a comic grading version of the Antique Roadshow, a psychological test where attendees are randomly selected out of the Hall H line for admittance. I know we had Morgan Spurlock's documentary but it wasn't exactly cinema verite. It'll be interesting to see what new elements this introduces into this year's Comic-Con - if any.

It'll also be interesting to see if never-beens watching at home will be inspired to try for a badge, or finally have the Con demystified for them. My guess: the former.

I'll post more when I know a release date and other details.