The WAN Show - Vessel is GONE, Vine is GONE, Macbook Pro is Derp! - October 28, 2016

The WAN Show episode dated October 28, 2016 covers a rapid sequence of major tech industry events and platform pivots that are affecting creators and viewers alike. It opens with Linus and the crew reacting to a wave of announcements beginning with AT&T's proposed acquisition of Time Warner, a deal valued at over 80 billion dollars, and the resulting regulatory scrutiny including a government hearing summoned to discuss the merger. The hosts unpack the potential implications for how media is delivered and controlled, emphasizing the scale of consolidation and its potential to reshape access to content. They then pivot to Vessel, a creator-focused platform that had promised better monetization for creators and earlier content drops, and discuss its sudden shutdown and the related contractual and operational fallout for Linus Tech Tips. The team explains the pre-shutdown benefits Vessel offered, such as higher revenue per video and early access for subscribers, and how those incentives aligned with their own production workflow and business needs at the time. They describe how Vessel's model aimed to reduce reliance on ad revenue and provide a more direct funding mechanism through subscriptions, which they believed could coexist with their YouTube presence during a transition period. The announcement notes a closing window where Vessel would terminate services within a short timespan, further complicating creators' plans and subscriber expectations. The show details the financial and logistical pressures of running a media studio, including mortgage commitments and the need to allocate resources efficiently to maintain production quality. The hosts recount their decision-making process around Vessel, including signing an 18-month agreement with potential renewals and a first-year free access period for their audience, which was intended to bolster creator revenue and viewer loyalty. They also discuss the larger context of platform diversification, exploring how Vessel fit into a broader strategy to decentralize content distribution and reduce algorithmic dependency on YouTube for traffic and monetization. The conversation moves into the logistical aftermath for existing Vessel subscribers, explaining refunds for annual subscriptions and how iTunes subscriptions would be handled, along with the expectation of notifications and instructions for users. The WAN Show team reflects on the challenges of building a sustainable early-access ecosystem, noting the lack of mature infrastructure from partners like Patreon for automated rewards and fulfillment, which complicates delivering tangible perks such as merch or exclusive content. They cover community reactions and ongoing considerations about how to preserve access to exclusive or early-release material without undermining the reach and visibility on YouTube, stressing the importance of buffering content to avoid flooding the feed and harming discoverability. The crew then contemplates possible paths forward, including potential collaborations with Go90 (a Verizon subsidiary) to maintain a form of early access, while recognizing the complexities of content contracts and the fate of creator agreements post-acquisition. They examine the social and practical aspects of app fatigue and platform proliferation, debating whether the industry needs multiple apps or a more integrated approach to distribution, particularly in light of Vine’s shutdown and Vine-like ambitions failing to gain traction. Finally, the hosts discuss the practicalities of continuing production with a leaner model, exploring how to fund ambitious projects and maintain momentum with a buffer and practical contingency plans, including upcoming hardware projects and the possibility of a centralized strategy for early access that could be piloted through community forums or a simplified API. The episode closes with a sense of cautious optimism that Linus Tech Tips will navigate the evolving landscape by combining strong creator partnerships, sustainable monetization approaches, and transparent communication with their audience. They tease ongoing experiments with workflow improvements and tease behind-the-scenes projects, underscoring a commitment to delivering timely, high-quality tech content despite platform volatility.

Topics · technology · media-economics · digital-platforms · video-production · consumer-electronics