TV - Here, There, and Everywhere?
The WSJ posted in yesterday’s Opinion Page excerpts from a speech by Jeff Bewkes - chairman and chief executive of Time Warner, Inc. He foresees a new era of TV watching, augmented by 21st digital technologies, communications, and devices:
But now television is at a critical moment in its evolution. Whether audiences continue to enjoy this golden era of TV will depend largely on whether content creators continue to stay apace of consumer needs and make strategic decisions that favor long-term sustainability over short-term dollars.
I believe the best path for TV’s next phase is clear. For the past 15 months, Time Warner, along with a growing number of content and distribution companies, has been implementing a new strategy called TV Everywhere. It operates on a simple but powerful premise: If you have access to television in your home—whether through rabbit ears or a paid cable, satellite or telco subscription—you should be able to view all the channels you receive on demand on whatever broadband device you wish.
That means on-demand access to your favorite shows not only on the TV in your living room but also on your laptop or tablet wherever you might take it—all at no extra cost.
It’s interesting to note the business model that he cites as one of the reasons that TV has endured better than its other media brethren:
One of the reasons why television has performed well while other media industries have struggled is that TV has developed a system of dual revenues from subscribers and advertisers that has served viewers successfully in digital formats for three decades now, leading to an explosion of choice for consumers at a reasonable value and programming that is ever more original, diverse and daring.
A subscription/advertising model…hmmm, seems like several other internet content providers - like Hulu and Netflix - are also adopting this model. I wonder if this portends a time in the near future when internet and TV will mesh to form a new type of content delivery service?
