So, apparently there was a funny Saturday Night Live iPhone ad.
I rarely watch SNL because I don’t feel like sitting through 70 minutes of filler, 14 minutes of ads for 6 minutes of funny entertainment (translation: I was sound asleep).
Anyway, turns out that indeed, there happened to be a funny ad pertaining to the iPhone (forget that NBC boss Jeff Zucker declared Jihad on Apple, for a second).
In analog days, that would be the end of it, until SNL repeats this show and I would have the chance to see the ad in question.
In the digital era we live in, we can actually view things on demand. That’s the theory of course. In practice, there are issues of control and of monetization. In all fairness, NBC is right to want to control the user experience (it has since the beginning of television’ history, after all) and naturally it needs to make money on the content it produces.
Of course, because TV networks are freaking out over the likelihood of their businesses shrinking, the’ve yet to embrace the web.
Up to last year, I’d go to YouTube to view a pirated version of the clip.
Up to last week, I’d go to YouTube to view a version copy of the clip on NBC’s channel.
That changed two weeks ago when NBC cut off its channel on YouTube to prepare for Hulu, its joint venture with News Corp.
This morning I found out that the funny as appeared on YouTube, only to be removed. So I went on Hulu, but, of course, that is still not live. Great.
Where to next? Let’s try to NBC.com. I commend NBC for wanting to be in control of their destiny online. What I condemn is their sheer ineptitude for how badly they actually control that destiny. Here goes:
On NBC.com, I searched for “SNL ipod” in the search engine. I begin to wonder: “what if NBC is right, why should the content be on YouTube, or even Hulu. It’s NBC’s content after all…”
My deep thoughts are interrupted by the results page:
“the keywords you asked for are not found but try these results.”
Hmm… Ok, I’m optimistic, I click on one of the results… not what I want, but at least, I’m getting close. I click on “SNL Main”, and lo and behold, I see a link to the magical fake ad for the iPod.
I click on it.
Your video will play after a brief ad. Fair enough. I didn’t stay up at night on Saturday, I now get to see the fake ad in question on demand…
Ad ends. What do I see?
The video you are trying to watch cannot be displayed. Replay. I press Replay.
Nothing, for my troubles, I got two see two ads.
Thanks. Seriously. With media like this, who needs writers in the first place?
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