by Todd Longwell
VidCon owes a lot to YouTube. The conference is built on the popularity of its creators and powered by the screaming, stampeding enthusiasm of its fans. It even copped the play button in its logo from the video hosting giant.
But VidCon doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The overriding theme in the industry this year has been that while YouTube is still the 800 lb. gorilla of the online video world, there are a lot of cute little apes vying for attention, and one of them could grow up to be King Kong. And that’s reflected in the lineup for the sixth annual edition of the three-day conference, which kicks off at the Anaheim Convention Center on July 23.
“I think the real danger is getting complacent and saying, ‘We’re just going to be a YouTube show,’” said Jim Louderback (pictured, right), former GM of Discovery Digital Networks, who came onboard last November to direct the programming of VidCon’s Industry Track. “You’ve got to reflect and lead what’s going on.
“We’re really trying to look across the entire spectrum of what online video and digitally delivered video looks like,” he continued. “We’re embracing Twitter and some of the new virtual reality platforms like Littlestar and Vrideo, and we’ve got [newer] streaming platforms like Meerkat, YouNow and Hangwith coming in.”
Louderback noted that there have been an increasing number of traditional media companies making bold moves in the digital video space in the past year, from CBS launching its All Access SVOD service to European broadcast giant RTL Group’s purchasing a controlling stake in StyleHaul. And both those entities will be represented at VidCon in firseside chats on July 23, withVideoInk founder Jocelyn Johnson hosting a session with RTL Group co-CEO Guillaume de Posch and Louderback presiding over one with CBS Interactive president and CEO Jim Lanzone.
This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.
