Converge

The latest addition to what I call Personal Public Television - the universe of public media content that you can create and curate yourself:

If you’re afflicted with the disease which has no name - the periodic, intense craving for documentary films - then you’ll love SnagFilms. I just discovered this site and after spending some time checking it out, I’m impressed.

SnagFilms currently features about 250 films, from the relatively unknown (to me) to major releases like SuperSize Me. The docs are streamed to you, with minimal advertising at the open; you have the standard full-screen viewing option. The site has a widget you can snag (get it?) to showcase favorite docs on your blog or web site, and here’s an interesting twist: apparently, the filmmakers have chosen specific charities and causes they care about, and the site gives you the option to support those charities on each film’s page.

SnagFilms has some big AOL names behind it, including Ted Leonsis (who has financed a couple of documentaries himself) and Steve Case. From the press materials:

In sessions convened by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Paley Center for New Media, the SnagFilms team listened to foundations that fund films, filmmakers and others. A common theme stated by all of the participants was that the bottlenecks in traditional distribution were threatening the economics of the medium and diminishing its impact. Alberto Ibargüen, Knight’s President and CEO, other foundation leaders, and Paley Center President and CEO Pat Mitchell will provide input to SnagFilms to make it an effective platform for the greatest possible number of filmmakers, and increase its community and charitable connections. Knight Foundation is also providing a multi-year grant to assist these activities.

So far, it looks pretty good. The small amount of advertising I’ve encountered isn’t intrusive, the stream looks great on my computer and my TV, and browsing through the list, I found all kinds of docs that piqued my interest.

It’s quality content, and it’s another example of how the term “public media” is expanding to include new entrants.

PBS is a content partner; I count 27 PBS episodes there, including a few NOVA episodes and the Medici series from a few years back. I’d love to see even more PBS content appear here. Frontline and Frontline World are probably the two shows on the top of my wishlist. In particular, Frontline’s absence is a big gaping hole that’s inexplicable (well, not inexplicable, but you know what I mean).

PBS has made a few moves like this - each of them smart. I’m watching less over-the-air public TV than ever, despite having four multicast channels on my TV, but I’m watching more PBS than in years, on other platforms that I use a lot - from Netflix (”Napoleon” was this week’s home viewing) to iTunesU and now SnagFilms.

I don’t actively avoid OTA public TV, but my viewing habits have trended away from traditional TV viewing, and some of my viewing interests are less mainstream (docs, speeches) and therefore not served by any single traditional channel. By partnering with other platforms that fit the mission, PBS ensures that, even as I wander off, its content is still placed where I can discover and enjoy it.