The world of online video has become something of a political battleground, with Glenn Beck on one side and The Young Turks on the other. But their strategies for spreading their views and making money from doing so are very different from each other.
Glenn Beck Vs. The Young Turks
Glenn Beck and The Young Turks differ in many ways. For a start their political ideologies are clearly at odds, The Young Turks being liberal, Glenn Beck being as conservative and right-wing as it’s possible to be without summoning the spirit of Hitler.
Also different is how they’re now offering their talk shows up for public consumption on the Web. Glenn Beck has launched an online network just for paid subscribers, while The Young Turks are on YouTube and in the first wave of select producers running one of 100 premium TV-like channels.
Both strategies have positives and negatives attached, but Cenk Uygur, The Young Turk himself, argues that Beck has got it all wrong on this occasion. As he so often does.
Differing Strategies
Speaking to NewTeeVee recently Uygur said of Beck, “He has done it the wrong way,” with the pay wall being just one of his mistakes. Beck is charging between $5- and $10-per-month for access, while Uygar relies primarily on advertising as a means of generating revenue.
He then goes on to talk about the new channel, Town Square, and the first show on it, The Point. He suggests that while the show will initially be 30-minutes-long and delivered weekly, that this could be adjusted. “That’s a huge advantage over television … We are really excited to be at this intersection of TV and online. It’s a great place to be.”
Conclusions
In terms of politics I have more in common with Uygur, but I actually have a lot of respect for what Glenn Beck has achieved with GBTV. He’s got a fanbase who eat up every word of nonsense he spouts, and he’s making use of them to make money. Good luck to him. But better luck to The Young Turks.
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