The baseline stats that are thrown about in various forms:

• The number of people per month viewing online video is increasing less than 7% per year.
• Video streaming still only accounts for less than 2.5% of total video consumption.
• Heavy users are in the 12-34 demographic.

I don’t dispute that watching video “outside the set-top box” is limited to a younger and more technical demographic; and in fact it may represent less than 5% of all video viewing as measured in minutes.  However, those that downplay the potential impact in the next two years are missing the reason why.  And I think it has little to do with what content is readily available.

Simply stated, for most users making the transition requires too many steps.   Younger and more technical users can figure out how to purchase that additional cord, change the input or setup wifi to stream from their broadband connection but to ask the early majority to take on more than “plug it in, push this button and now view” is too much.  And frankly it isn’t that hard to provide a solution that can do just that.

Just like the DVR, facebook and downloading apps on a mobile device, a landslide is coming from the early majority  Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon and even Boxee have created awareness and the tipping point will come via applications like Youtube’s Leanback or social applications like Zoofs that aggregate the most popular youtube videos talked about on twitter.

Really?  David, as arguably the leading technology columnist I would have expected you to say at least “35″.

I know the newspaper industry is in serious trouble but I still believe the production of a daily edition newspaper is a tremendous achievement.  Think about it.   If I told you that I had a world wide network of over a thousand employees that investigate, collect, prioritize, edit and disseminate a high value quality product- new each day.  And as an added bonus I relayed that this product already has over 750,000 subscribers, receives numerous awards annually and is nationally recognized as one of the leaders in the industry.

And what if I told you I charged about a buck a day if you live across the US or 80 cents if you live in NY to get my product on your doorstep every morning.

You would laugh and then think that I learned what a value proposition “is” from the pricing savants from NetZero.  (Remember their “free” Internet service offering?)

But then I would stammer a bit and tell you, “…well I sale advertising to help pay for all of this.  And my pricing model is ‘proven’ because it was established in the early 1900’s”.

You would laugh and laugh again; unless you were  NYT’s chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr.

Frankly it’s amazing that a high value product like this was able to survive for so long with a completely stagnant business model… in my mind this truly shows the demand for the product and the fact that the journalists and staff at newspapers were WAY underpaid for their contributions.

The brass at the New York Times should quit blaming George Bush for all of their problems and if they are serious about trying to salvage the printed edition they can’t wait until a January 2011 roll-out of a subscription site to frequent readers (if this is still planned).

Why not at least offer something to potential younger readers who do digest your content online or on their smart phone?  The standing offer of “50% off of the normal subscription rate”  is a pretty innovative call to action, I can’t imagine why any 20 or 30 something doesn’t subscribe.

You can’t tell me that the Gray Lady couldn’t try partner deals with  firms that have a younger and tech savvy audience.  foursquare?

Off the top of my head strike a deal with foursquare that offers the Friday NYT’s weekend edition to select foursquare readers when they check-in at select bars and clubs.  In turn, NYT’s columnists and related celebs would “check in” when the are covering a story or making the news and these check-ins would only be viewable by the foursquare readers that subscribe.   Bars / clubs would happily give away a water downed drink to a late 20 or 30 something for repeat business and to be foursquare “hip”.

And yes I would CHARGE for this and try your luck in/around NYC.  Four bucks a month gets them the Friday Edition, access to select content on their mobile device and a $4 coupon weekly to a selection of bars and clubs that elect to participate (including the place that they checked in at).

I know this is a lame marketing idea, but it’s better than saying we’ll wait to 2011 and in fact any partner deals could funnel into the subscription strategy.

And then maybe David Pogue can write about the niche group of late 20 / 3o somethings that still subscribe to the NYT.

From a packet of gum when they are 10 to music, movies and television content when they hit elementary school (yes it starts this early).  I’m looking at my five year old son right now and I’m pretty sure he is watching a youtube video on how to open a torrent file; that or a video of sharks.

I attended the Copyright and Technology conference on Thursday.  The conference featured a combination of lawyers and technical leads focused on copyright protection for companies including Viacom, Sony, Time Warner, Comcast, Adobe and others.  Discussion topics included content piracy, identification and copyright trends.

Media companies know they have a problem, and in fact they always have had it, the visibility and speed of the problem is obviously amplified due to the ease of access via technologies enabled by the Internet.

The statement and subsequent support from others that bothered me a bit is that a few media companies are in effect almost excepting 18-24 year old pirates in order to focus on swashbucklers and wenches (just wanted to say wenches) 24 years or older noting they have disposable income.

I am truly in awe of tech blogs that “borrow” content from others, throw in a few flowery adverbs, sprinkle in some acronyms and then beautifully regurgitate it all for their hundred readers to decipher.  MioTrack is not that type of blog; I probably will only have one reader.

MioTrack will focus on new innovations in mobile and media.  My posts will be fueled by my experience, industry knowledge and the insight of opinion leaders that I trust.  Now the downside to actually doing some research is that all of the content for this blog will likely be written late at night with SportsCenter or CNBC humming in the background.  So please excuse my “typos” in advance; MioTrack will read like a conversation.

And as far as the experience I alluded to above, the highlight of my career was successfully picking up a gallon of milk for Senator Moynihan and Senator Packwood.  Without that milk Senator Packwood’s driver would have had to ask another Senate lackey.

Now the Disclaimer.  MioTrack is my personal blog and the views expressed herein are my personal opinion and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer, colleagues, business partners or any other related work party.