TV is a dying beast, let us now praise her. Just like the music industry has crapped all over its listenership, the four big networks are drowning us is a sea of pap and no technology will save us.
If TV viewing habits are going to change in the next year, you’re going to see a revolutionary departure, people flocking away from TV towards on demand viewing of quality content. At the end of the day, you don’t make a point of running home for the new Jim Belushi sitcom or some new SciFi that JJ Abraham’s brother’s hairdresser wrote the script for.
All the bells and whistles in the world will not make up for unstimulating TV.
We Canadians don’t get Hulu, but even if we did, it’s certainly not the future. For it to the be the future, every TV viewer would not only need to have a laptop or desktop computer that would actually allow it to function but they would also need the broadband access for it. As of 2008, broadband penetration in the United States was only around 58% and with modern broadband in the US seriously behind the times, GE and Fox are going to need to be investing in ethernet cable, just as much as they’re investing in content.
Other folks are taking about 3D TV as being the next godsend for the industry and again, it’s still more bells and whistles that are there to mask an increasing decline in the quality of the actual content. Sure, it means that it looks like Ryan Seacrest is trying to eat them when mom and dad sit down to watch American Idol, but that’s only going to hold so much appeal before it scares the crap out of baby sister. Therefore. We’re looking at not only serious limited appeal, but a product pitch that only certain people might actually jump on. It’ll work great for 24 or Fringe, but it’s not likely the NFL will jump on it. It’s simply still to early to be preaching 3D content as the next savior of TV.
(Vancouver)