There’s nothing new in the Internet’s long tail.

But how to grab that slippery long tail with compelling online content dominated debate at this week’s NextMedia conference in Toronto, with few definitive answers on offer.

Part of the equation is making your company and its business model as large and dominant as it can possibly be to face down competition from Google, Apple and Netflix, delegates were told over and over by panelists.

But others demurred: “The carriers pursuing content integration strategies you should worry about a lot,” Michael Hennessy (pictured), senior vice president of government and regulatory affairs at Telus Corp., told a panel entitled Open vs. Closed: Content Distribution in the Digital Age.

Hennessy was reacting to Telus rivals like BCE, Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications bulking up by acquiring TV networks to drive content down their pipes, while Telus has been left in the lurch with no major content rights holdings.

David Armour, vice president of development programming and sales of digital media at Endemol USA, told NextMEDIA delegates that content was king in the digital age.

The key was tailoring that content for a global market.

An example: Endemol USA pacted with NBA star Kobe Bryant on the web series Dream Makers: Kobe Bryant, which includes Filipino kids getting lessons on and off the court from the Los Angeles Lakers star.

Importantly, the global producer geo-gated the online property in the Asian market, where Bryant is well-known and Endemol USA wants to launch local format versions in individual markets.

Tina Cesa Ward, a writer/producer on Anyone But Me said the key to distributing the episodic web series internationally is forgetting the domestic/foreign distinction.

“Our biggest fan bases are overseas. We don’t think of a difference between domestic and international. Our shows go out to everyone, even in China,” she said.

The NextMEDIA conference wraps on Wednesday.

Picture: Suzan Ayscough