More Webcasts on the Way

If you thought webcasts were already nearly ubiquitous, just wait a couple more years. According to B2B magazine, the webcast market will go from $83.3 million in 2007 to $3.4 billion in 2014. If that's true, what might it mean for webcasts in the future?

First, webcast noise will increase. Today, you can't approach a trade site, or even magazine, and not find an advertisement or mention of a webcast. This will continue expanding to other areas with complex messages. Colleges and universities are already using webcasts, soon we will see webcasts become a standard content offering for other traditionally consumer areas.

Second, webcasts will become much more like today's social media formats. A webcast channel may develop a following like a blog does today. More likely, webcasts will become a format for creating longer or more complex blog post.

Third, webcasts will become primary training vehicles. We are already seeing this today in many markets, with webcasts used as a way to train clients and staff.

But as the number of webcasts increase, where will the time come from? Unlike advertising slots in TV, billboards along a highway, or banner ads online, webcasts require a significant time commitment from the audience in order to be valuable. With more webcasts, will the current 30 to 90 minute webcast formats survive? Will webcasts become shorter, brief clips, that add to the myriad of other short, easily digested content formats available on the web today?