Question: What are some current events in your industry? What is the impact of these events on the industry?
Summary: The Google owned video giant is finalizing contracts for several "channels" to post regular videos on various topics. The channels are expected to launch in early 2012. As of yet, no specific information on the subject is being published by Google itself, however it is becoming clear that Google aims to create Youtube into a serious competitor of TV. YouTube is paying anywhere from a few hundred thousand to several million dollars to people creating content for these channels whose program format is going to be similar to that of TV, gathering required revenue from advertisements.
Opinion: While this is a very short article, I believe it is very illustrative of a trend currently happening in media. The prominence of traditional TV broadcasting is decreasing and its competitors on the internet have a significant advantage of being easily, inexpensively, and widely accessible. YouTube's foray into channel based content is not unlike Hulu's stealing of TV show audiences from cable TV. The question is, however, if YouTube will be able to break away from its homemade-movie image. While it is a form of entertainment that many, especially in the younger generations, enjoy, few associate it with the type of things one wants to get from TV channels. Nonetheless, whether it will be through YouTube or not, the future of video isn't cable - it's on the internet. If traditional companies want to survive in the long run, they should be making the effort now to establish their presence.
I feel like youtube and google are trying to compete with hulu just as much, if not more, than cable TV. Youtube sees your point that "The future of video isn't cable - it's on the internet".
ReplyDeleteHow much have cable companies been losing to internet audiences? It makes sense that, like other media forms that are digitalizing, the entrance into the internet would stem from a loss in traditional viewership, but I haven't heard as much about it as the decline in traditional newspapers.
I agree with the statement that the future of video isn't cable - it's the internet. I know so many people that get their TV programs from the internet - they pay it just like they would for the regular cable television, but instead of having an actual cable, they somehow connect their computers to TV, and then watch all their favrite TV shows from there. It's cheaper and for them more convenient, since they pay only for those programs they want ...so yeah. I feel like with time, internet can drive companies like Time Warner Cable out of business...
ReplyDelete-Saida Khamidova
P.S. I still can't post comments :D so I'll just write my name at the bottom of each comment from now on..
ReplyDelete-Saida Khamidova
I haven't considered Youtube as a major competitor to distributors of cable and satellite television before, but after reading this it makes sense. Youtube already has options for channels to put their show online and make money through ads on their site and, while it's not the most popular option, there are still plenty of viewers which they can reach which would otherwise be inaccessible (I.E. college students without TV). All they need is for some major companies to start putting their shows online and television-based distribution will really face troubles.
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