[opendtv] Re: All This TV: Too Much of a Good Thing? | Broadcasting & Cable
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2015 08:33:49 -0400
On Jul 14, 2015, at 8:07 PM, Manfredi, Albert E
<albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I guess some in the industry get worried about "too much of a good thing,"
but I think it's simply time for a paradigm shift.
Paradigm shift do happen. We have seen many as a result of the Internet.
But it is rare that these shifts completely wipe out the legacy businesses that
they impact. And even more unusual, when an entrenched industry is able to
control the paradigm shift.
The music industry was ill prepared for the ease with which their products
could be shared via Napster et al, and reacted badly. But just as the movie
industry came to embrace the VCR, the music industry adapted to Internet
distributing. They are now embracing the concept of offering their entire
libraries for a monthly subscription fee. Yet you can still buy CDs and vinyl,
both new and used, and radio is still going strong.
We may be moving to a similar model for TV content - I.e. All you can eat for a
monthly fee. But the other forms of distribution will not disappear. There will
still be DVD sales and rentals. There will still be linear networks, and
probably local broadcasters to deliver them. And there will still be content
bundles optimized for different audiences.
This is not so much a paradigm shift as it is the inevitable evolution of an
industry.
Used to be, you got 3 TV channels that could only be viewed by appointment.
Easy to keep up with the shows you liked. But even back then, I doubt that
too many people obsessed about the fact that they could never hope to read
all the books in their public library, right? Do we obsess that more books
are written than we can hope to keep up with, let alone all the existing
books we never read? I don't think so.
Obviously there is an important element to all forms of media consumption. It
is the ability to search for content you are interested in. But it is difficult
to search for something you do not know about. How do you discover a new
musical artist lurking in a library of thirty million songs?
Discovery is critical to the entertainment industry. It is the reason you sit
through 5-10 movie trailers before you get to watch the movie you are paying
for.it is a major reason that linear TV exists, and will continue to exist in
the future. These linear networks promote new content and play a role in
building the audience.
The question should be, why would one expect TV to be different? This
"problem" has been with us ever since the printing press. Not being
constrained by linear delivery "channels" means that the limiting factor is
now the capacity of the multiple thousands of servers.
The article notes that content creation is thriving at many levels. The straw
an that there is too much content is a much a gimmick to get hits for the
article as a statement of real concern. Exclusive content is a key building
block for any distribution business, and especially for those that require a
paid subscription. Library content will still fill the gaps and feed the binge
addicts, even as linear and VOD find their natural balance in the marketplace.
Regards
Craig
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