The Future Of TV: Short Summary Of The Article Essays Example

Can traditional TV survive in the Internet age?

Gadgets are being used as a major tool for watching.
With the recent technological advancements the current generation is facing now, gadgets aside from the television are being used for watching. Many television viewers now watch their most awaited show on their gadgets such as tablets, computers and smartphones. Services such as Netflix offer internet streaming of several kinds of show that TV broadcast signals are not a necessity anymore.

The convergence of the Internet and TV open new opportunities to the television industry.

Major changes to the television industry arise from the convergence of Internet and TV. With the availability of high-speed internet services, people can now watch shows which cannot be provided by their local networks or pay-TVs. Due to this, there are now fewer subscribers to cable TVs because the option of streaming over the web has become more appealing.

Major Issues regarding the Future of TV

Pay-TV fees are becoming high that it is too much for the subscribers.
Some people do not watch much TV that it does not compensate what they pay for cable. They tend to catch news through their smartphones or any other gadget available. The availability of the internet makes it easier for them to access their favourite shows without depending on pay-TV.

Unsubscribing to Cable/Satellite may threaten the business of TV.

People on the pay-TV business call the people who buy their content through internet services and cut ties with pay-TV providers as “cord-cutters” or “cord-shavers”. One major reason as to why viewers abandon their subscriptions is due to the rise in pay-TV bills. However, the pay-TV industry raises their point that subscribers will receive more and better programming for the money they paid. If this situation continues, TV companies will be more affected as compared to their advertisers.

Continuous change for the TV industry can lead to many possibilities.

The chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation was interviewed by the author of this article and said that he believes that more imminent changes will occur in the TV industry within the next five years compared to the last 50 years. Going back to 50 years in time, only a handful of broadcast channels were available. Until the emergence of pay-TV, over a hundred of broadcast channels from all over the world has been offered by the TV industry. Nowadays, smartphones, tablets and computers are available for connecting to the internet and can be considered as “smart” TVs with own WiFi capability. The author also reported that William Power, an analyst of Robert W. Baird & Co., that “streaming is the long-term future of the video”. It is now evident since younger audience prefer watching on online TV. They tend to spend more of their TV watching time online than watching live broadcast.

The merging of pay-TV companies: Will it benefit the consumers?

With ongoing business-competitions, the TV industry also faces potential shake-ups regarding legal and regulatory matters. An example of this is the increase in pay-TV bills becoming a political issue. It was pointed in the article that the cost of cable is increasing faster than inflation. Another known legal matter when it comes to the talks regarding future of TV is the proposed Comcast – Time Warner Cable merger. It has become a widely debated topic considering the role of federal regulators in paving the way for the future of TV business. This is comparable to as what the federal court has done during the times that pay-TV channel is starting. In the 1970s wherein the pay-TV industry is rising, federal court decision enabled the acquisition of broadcasts channels from distant locations which enabled pay-tv to offer various channels

Discussion Questions

With the pending case of proposed merging of Comcast and Time Warner Cable, what are the possible changes that it can bring to the TV industry once it will be approve?
Is streaming really the long-term future of the television industry? Why or why not?

Works Cited:

Katel, Peter. “Future of TV.” CQ Researcher 24.14 (2014): 313-336.