TV No Longer Means What It Used To
“Television programs” more than ever before are coming to mean “episodic video content” rather than “entertainment and informational programming that comes out of a blue glow-emitting box.”
Consider that almost half of European broadband users now watch television programs on a computer, according to BBC News. And when you consider the massive popularity of YouTube – which has “trained” people to enjoy online video content programming that is often low budget and low quality in nature – it only stands to reason that traditional television products will be increasingly integrated into the online experience.
But what I find really fascinating is the prospect of shows premiering online, with the potential to then be broadcast on traditional TV. That’s what Comedy Central is doing with Web Shows, where “webisodes” that originated online will then make their small screen debut in July. Another example of an online-traditional TV experiment is Jack Black’s Acceptable.tv, which ties to a show on VH1.
Meanwhile, many are keeping their eyes on Prom Queen, original 90-second soap opera-style stories that are available on places such as MySpace, Veoh, YouTube, and PromQueen.tv. The early and as yet modest success of this venture may open up the floodgates for a new generation of online-first episodic video programming.
As an episodic story cultist of all kinds, I’m liking it.
Yes, yet another move to separate the content from the delivery mechanism. Just as I wish “newspapers” would lose their dead-tree medium and just become “news” television shows could just be “shows” or “programs”.
I watched the entire third season of Battlestar Galacatica on the computer via iTunes…! I’m looking forward to watching many other “shows” that way.
Right, I think the experience will become increasingly seamless i.e. watching “television” programs on the computer and watching “online-based video content” on a television screen.