- OpenAI acquired the buzzy media startup TBPN on Thursday.
- TBPN inspired a set of new digital talk shows covering tech, advertising, and politics.
- OpenAI's deal could spark more livestream copycats.
Get ready for a bumper crop of TBPN-style shows.
OpenAI scooped up the livestream talk-show startup on Thursday for an undisclosed sum.
"It is a wild move," said Jack Westerkamp, cohost of the TBPN-esque show "Breaking and Entering," which covers the advertising and marketing industries. The deal showcases the "sheer influence" TBPN has had on the tech industry, he added.
It also showed why there's already been a handful of shows, including "Breaking and Entering," inspired by TBPN.
TBPN has popularized — or rather, re-popularized — the live talk show.
The show's split-screen format showcases mic'd-up hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays (typically dressed in suits) alongside a busy spread of stock prices, tech headlines, and brand placements. They stream for three hours every weekday and consistently bring on high-profile guests, including Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Clips of the show travel far and wide on social media.
"It's become a de facto must-watch" for Silicon Valley, said Reza Izad, a partner with Underscore Talent. "They're entrepreneurial, good on camera."
As with any media strategy, if it works, everyone's going to try it. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? After all, TBPN's format itself is a riff on the ESPN show "SportsCenter."
"TBPN is a format that is repeatable," said Adam Faze, cofounder of the social-media entertainment company Gymnasium. Live talk shows aren't new. They are, however, ripe for disruption with new formats, Faze said.
"There's going to start being a lot more competition," he said.
Reign Maker Group CEO Jonathan Chanti just launched a new management firm for tech creators and is exploring other verticals. He said a big part of his strategy will be helping them create shows in the TBPN style.
"You need to be authentic, you need to substantiate your opinion, and you need to be able to translate complex matters into a simplified format," he said.
He's not alone.
There are competitor tech industry shows like "ETN," a European tech-focused stream, or The Information's "TITV." TBPN even highlighted a Korean "version of our show" last summer.
Meanwhile, others are riffing on the style to stake a claim in various industries. Advertising has "Breaking and Entering"; Hollywood has a new show from the meme account Assistants vs. Agents, called "AvA Live"; and political junkies will soon have "Nobody Knows Anything."
Livestreaming finds a niche
As platform algorithms have pushed everyone into their own content bubbles, the opportunity to build a business in a niche category has grown.
"You're going to see more and more of it," Westerkamp said. "It'll only get nicher and nicher and nicher, in my opinion, the way that the algorithm is going and how good it is in assigning media to your specific interests."
TBPN is "one of a couple live shows" that Warner Bailey, the host and founder of AvA Live, admired and drew inspiration from while coming up with his new show.
Bailey said his show will have a different aesthetic (including a decked-out cubicle set), structure, and length, but it will be livestreamed like TBPN. (Rion Harmon, cofounder of ad agency DayJob, who worked on TBPN's branding, previously told Business Insider that the show's "cacophony of logos" was intentional — and a nod to Formula 1 racecars.)
"The benefit of live is you're creating an environment that really leans into authenticity in an environment where there's a content abundance, and everything seems to be overly polished," Bailey said.
Copycats may have a moment in the sun, but it's not a guarantee they'll last.
"It's unbelievably saturated, especially the world of podcasts," Bailey continued. "You need to create durable IP and longevity. You need to carve out a differentiation."
Just because the format is replicable doesn't mean everyone will see a payday like TBPN, either.
"I'm fearful for the amount of slop that's going to come on the other side of this," Faze said. "Not from TBPN, but from people thinking that this is easy and that they too are going to have a hundred million dollar acquisition."