🎮 Happy Channel 3 Season 1 Launch Day

Plus: musing on social platform business models...

Today is July 1. Welcome to the 2nd half of 2022. Or for the businesspeople out there, welcome to Q3.

Most importantly, for the 200+ people using Channel 3, welcome to Season 1!

(A couple weeks ago, I was hoping for 100 people in the platform by Season 1 launch. We are at 204 right now and things are running smoothly. I am quite pleased. By the way, my hope for the end of Season 1 (October 1)? 1000. 😳)

I wrote earlier this week about the gamification of the platform. The reaction to this has been amazing. Total XP collected by all users so far: 198,749! Wild.

Season 1? WHAT???

Channel 3 will have seasons that last 3 months. This allows XP leaderboards and fun friendly competition throughout the 3 month period.

It also allows us to have unlockable items and prizes throughout a given season.

It also allows us to host events, leagues, and tournaments that are anchored by the seasons.

We have our first events TONIGHT. Tune in at twitch.tv/channel3gg.

Events will be weekly going forward.

Eventually, when we have enough participation, we’ll run proper leagues that start and end with Channel 3 seasons. Even hosting leagues for particular clubs, groups, charities, or affinity communities.

Let’s talk business (yuck!)

Right now I am very much in the just-make-everything-as-cool-as-possible phase. Eventually I’ll need to shift my mindset to more businessy matters, and that will be… fine. I can handle it. I’ve already given it a ton of thought.

Traditional social platforms are almost entirely ad-based. They’re raking in the dough, but it comes with monumental baggage. Namely: you are the product. And the platforms are selling you to advertisers.

But also, the more content, the more posts, the more they can inject targeted ads, interstitials, pre-roll/mid-roll/post-roll video ads, blah blah blah. It’s very much a quantity over quality situation.

There are other pitfalls to this approach I’ll discuss later. But my goal with Channel 3 is to avoid that model.

Battle pass

The seasons will also enable a subscription/battle pass business model. So even though the platform is a lil newborn infant, we’re doing this for the very first season. It’s called Turbo.

I’m really excited about this. Gamers who get Turbo level up every 1000 xp they earn. And at each level, they unlock a new item.

59 people have signed up. (33 common, 14 uncommon, 3 rare, 2 epic, 14 legendary)

(HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL THE CHANNEL 3 TURBO GAMERS. If and when this crazy dream becomes reality, it will be because of you.)

With this subscription business model, the users are not the product, they are the customers. And I must build a product worth paying for. I promise I’ll do everything I can to not let you down.

And I have a lot of ideas.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go brush up on my Fortnite skills for tonight’s event. See you on the Battle Bus.

---

If you're a gamer and want to check out the alpha release of the platform, email joel@channel3.gg. Please include: preferred username, links to 1-3 social accounts, and favorite video games of all time.