Are We On The Cusp Of The Biggest Television Revolution Ever

Over the last couple of years things have changed in the tv stratosphere, the rumblings in the tv industry are saying 2010 is when things change big time. Finally we will see a convergence of television, the internet and video. So why now are things about to change so drastically and what will this mean for you, the viewer?

When we look back over the last few years, the big change is the emergence of an internet protocol standard television (IPTV) standard and the massive changes that have taken place on the humble PC and its use of the internet. The massive success and growth of online tv players from Hulu in the US to iPlayer in the UK and the many similar TV services. Youtube becoming a professional tv distribution hub have all changed the perceptions of viewers about the way they watch tv.

Whilst all the internet and tv partnerships have been evolving and growing, another big evolution has been happening on the traditional television set which will bring the internet to your traditional tv.

Imagine that when you turn on your tv set you are presented with your existing channels but also a myriad of catch up tv and video services on demand that the pc currently partly offers. Imagine that you have a limitless number of channels and that you choose when to watch them. It would make the video and dvr redundant. The online library would have every show and movie ever made just waiting to be watched.

This is the new face of your television set. Widget enabled and internet connected will be the standard for tv sets that are being sold, finally after being talked about for years. This year is when the general public get connected. It is predicted that 20% of televisions sold in 2010 throughout Europe will be internet enabled. Add to the mix the sheer number of set-top boxes and games consoles that have the ability to stream internet television and video and the future becomes clear.

We can expect to see many new channels due to this ‘hybrid’ having an unlimited channel capacity which will drastically lower the cost to start a new channel. TV will become a realistic ‘watch anywhere’ service. From your TV and onto your PC, on your phone and any number of internet enabled devices.

This point in time will be looked back upon as the most exciting and innovative time there has ever been for the humble television. Introducing sound, colour, hdtv… They will all pale into insignificance with what you are about to witness.

Hi everyone my name is Kelly from the UK. Please let me know what you think of my posts by leaving a comment (or 2)

Kelly

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3 Responses to “Are We On The Cusp Of The Biggest Television Revolution Ever”

Ashu Joshi on February 17th, 2010 at 8:49 pm

It is a perfect storm right now – Content Creators are bypassing traditional distribution channels and trying to distribute their own content – think BBC with iPlayer and of course Hulu which is owned by NBC.

One challenge I see with the aggregated model is how do you prioritize what gets premium real estate on the screen vs. others – Content Creators do not want third parties to control the “promotional” aspects of the screen. For example would CBS like it if NBC shows had more prominence (even if the prominence was garnered because of crowdsourcing)?

Same thing with Widgets – who decides what is shown and when? Yes consumers should control it but this is all a very touchy/feely topic for the content creators & distributors.

Never the less TV is changing and will only accelerate the pace of its change!
Kelly on February 18th, 2010 at 5:47 am

Hi Ashu

You are right. The networks are on very unfamiliar ground. Content that they used to have total control over is now handed to an outside aggregator who can put what they like around it. How about a CBS stream that has advertising around it for a NBC show?

This is why deals take a long time to nail down. The networks still want that full control and dont like the idea of loosening their grip on it.
Vince V on February 18th, 2010 at 9:44 am

Kelly,

Good post. I agree that we’re on the cusp of something significant but I still see plenty of gating factors, most of which are legal and regulatory in nature. Until there’s a big shift in the content ownership regime, you’re going to continue having a natural conflict between those ownership groups that want control and the technologists.