As music, news and books become more accessible on the internet, is it time for television to shift to the clouds. The question arises – what does this mean for television broadcasters and programmers?
On-demand channels, such as the BBC iPlayer, 4oD and itv Player are moving viewers from the traditional medium of TV, to catch-up on their favourite programmes online. YouTube has also contributed to this change in television consumption, equating to 7% of total time spent on the internet viewing in the US, according to comScore.
Most television viewers only watch a few channels regularly, yet continue to pay high subscription rates for 300+ channels. Maybe it is time for the television industry to reconsider the subscription basis to a pay-per-channel or per-show basis. Today, we have more choice than ever and content is available wherever and whenever – laptops, TV, mobile phones and tablets.
Moving television to the clouds is about more than just distribution – it is about changing both consumer behaviour and the TV industry’s attitudes, as well as identifying and sharing new content.
Traditional television has forever been locked up in the digi-box and remains a firm favourite for content owners, while advertisers continue to spend major budgets on TV advertising.
Google is positive in their attempts to merge the two worlds together through their Google TV project, as Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, recently announced at the Edinburgh International Television Festival. The major battle is persuading television broadcasters and content providers to welcome this cloud-based concept.
TV is no longer just a screen, it is about the value of the clouds – a haven where content can be stored, searched, shared and streamed.
As music, news and books are part and parcel of the ever-evolving digital world, it is time for television to embrace this change, or at least, trial it. The next step is to execute cloud-based TV, making the television experience more social, allowing viewers to share, recommend and index favourite films and shows. This will hopefully make scheduled television a thing of the past…
