Can Wildlife Web Cams Generate Money?
So far, most virtual wildlife tourism on the web has been free. Though virtual tourists do not appear willing to pay for unedited wildlife footage, they may be willing to pay for edited highlights. After all, cable television subscribers pay for wildlife programs such as Crocodile Hunter, the Jeff Corwin Experience, and Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures. But wildlife web cams have rarely, if ever, generated revenue. The “banner ad” model (advertising on websites so visitors can click through and purchase goods and services) has largely failed. And bandwidth charges for streaming video are still high, making video an unlikely tool for conservation. That said, the Internet adult entertainment industry made over one billion dollars last year, demonstrating that people are willing to pay for content over the web. So far, wildlife web cams and streaming video appear to be useful public relations, research, and awareness raising tools, but conservation managers have not yet found a way for them
