Content Monetization

Life was simpler when the Internet didn't exist. Monetizing content was easy. Textual content was monetized via newspapers, books & magazines. Audio content was monetized via radio, cassettes, CDs and DVDs. Video content was also monetized via cassettes, CDs and DVDs. The Internet came as a double edged sword - content distribution became extremely easy but monetization became much harder, almost unsustainable. If content production houses have to stay in business, adapting with the changing times is imperative.

In today's word dominated by digital media, web and mobile are two important content delivery mediums. Available content monetization platforms can be classified as follows - (1) Web Publisher Platforms - blogs or individual websites, (2) Streaming Platforms - platforms such as YouTube, SoundCloud, etc. that provide video & audio streaming technologies, (3) Social Media Platforms - such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. (4) Mobile Platforms - platforms such as our homebrewed ZonCon, which provide mobile app-based monetization mechanisms. Choice of a monetization platforms depends on the goals of a content house. Still, it is a common practice nowadays to monetize content on all possible platforms.

On any digital medium, content can be monetized in the following ways - (1) Placing Advertisements - users can consume the content for free however they must see advertisements (e.g. YouTube), (2) Subscription Based - users can consume any content for a fixed duration (say a month for a monthly subscription) by paying the subscription fee (e.g. Netflix), (3) Pay Per View - every content item has a pre-decided price and users pay before they are able to consume that particular content, (4) Prepaid Recharge - users have do a recharge of some specific amounts and can consume content until the account balance dries up (e.g. Tata Sky TV), and (5) A combination of first three strategies.