Life in Cyberspace: The Future of Television

I know I love the option to watch TV on the internet. It’s an extra 10 dollars to the cable bill to have the option to DVR and since the bill is already near a hundred dollars, I am not trying to make any . This brings me to why the internet is such a good option to watch TV. If I miss the current episode of 24, I can catch it online.

The internet changes the current network model because we can watch programs when they are convenient for us, rather than scheduling our day around a television program. You see my problem is that Monday night is just a great night for TV. I was getting really into 24 this season; however, that all changed when the new season of Gossip Girl started, at the same time as 24. As much as I try, I just can’t get the best out of both shows by switching at commercials, I end up needing to watch both episodes again. Now, I found a solution; I watch gossip girl, then catch up with 24 the following week, online. So this has to mean the big monopolies have no control over me, right?

Wrong. NBC, FOX, CBS and ABC still control what we watch. Through the internet, we are still watching the programs created by the big companies; the only thing we have control over is when we watch the programs and they still have control over that, too. Internet TV and new movies are similar in this case. You know it takes months to film movies and we may know that, but once we watch the preview and see the day it is to play in theaters, we are there. It is just something about seeing the movie the weekend it comes out, for me; I know if I don’t go the opening weekend, I am more and more likely not to watch the film at the theater. With internet TV programs, they are not usually available to view the same night that they premier. To wait a week may not be a big deal for some but for most they want to watch the show the night it premiers, so they try their hardest to get home and watch the show at its regular viewing time.

Sites like YouTube have created a long tail for television on the internet. There was an award show playing, I missed an artist’s performance, but you better believe I caught Lady Gaga’s performance on YouTube the same night. I was amazing and although it looked like someone was pointing a video camera at their television to record, I was happy to be able to watch the performance everyone had been discussing. However, I would have to argue that even if independent producers, found on YouTube, had created a series of shows and skipped the network system all together, they would still be unsuccessful. One of the monopolizing three-letter companies would ask the producer to work with their network. The producer won’t want to the opportunity to pass; to be on a real TV station is usually the goal. Who’s going to turn down more publicity, distribution, and probably money?

The book The Television Will Be Revolutionized by Amanda D. Lotz explains the "5 C's of the Post-Network Era or the TV on internet Era.

Choice: Television online gives a great deal of choice to its viewers. People have a huge selection of shows to view and they have the choice to watch any of them, when they want to.

Control: Control works right along with choice. By having the choice to choose, it means individuals are allowed to control what they watch. The option is to fit TV into busy schedules for a time that works best with one’s schedule.

Convenience: I guess all these C’s are beginning to run all together. I just stated TV becomes available at our convenience rather than trying to do your grocery shopping all before your TV show comes on. Too, more than half of us Americans spend our day in front of the computer screen anyway; it’s just one more click to view a TV program.

Customization: Networks today have a certain day when a particular show is to come on. During the Post Network Era, we will be able to customize a show to whatever order we would like to view our shows.

Community: Everyone is on the internet creating an online community. Through Facebook and Twitter, discussions about TV shows can be shared with those who have interests in common through the internet.

With all this being said, I feel the future of television looks like it will not be depended upon as much; it will just be another gadget that loses importance with time.