What Does The Internet Mean For Traditional Tv Media Essay

What Does The Internet Mean For Traditional Tv Media Essay As we know, the internet is becoming a new frontier for television. With different online services like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube, people have changed their total viewing experience being able to use various devices to stream their desired content almost anywhere. With both on-demand and live viewing available on the internet, people have been trading the cable cord for an Ethernet cord in order to watch what they want, when they want. Television has been a huge part of our culture since it was created. The inevitable question that must be asked here is: what does all of this mean for the traditional television? According to Nielsen, in the United States, 143 million people watched TV on the internet in 2011. As we can see this is an exponential rate given that the technology is extremely young. While most Americans would assume that more people would be watching more television on the internet than they would traditionally, data from consumer reports are proving us all wrong. With Americans spending an average of 32 hours and 47 minutes per week watching content on a traditional TV, three hours and 58 minutes each week watching via the Internet on a computer, and just seven minutes a week on a mobile device, we can see that Television is far from being relinquished. With 290 million people and 114.7 million households in the U.S. owning at least one TV, we know that they are certainly not being put to waste. As of right now, the television set is still the primary method of consuming programming. Although the television is still being used more commonly, we are beginning to see a strong shift towards internet services that stream media. We should not look at the internet as an enemy to television, but as more of a companion as it is aiding watchers in a richer programming e xperience. Arrested Development Article Summary #2 Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/arts/television/netflix-to-back-arrested-development.html?_r=1 After being cancelled in 2006, Fox sitcom Arrested Development gained a cult following. Despite critical acclaim and multiple awards, the show was cancelled due to lackluster viewing numbers after three seasons. Now due to popular demand, the show is being resurrected on Netflix. The new episodes will go straight into the instant viewing queue, never being aired by a network on television. Streaming episodes of Arrested Development have been available on Netflix for some time, and their popularity led to the show being brought back into production. This is a huge, revolutionary moment for television. A show is being produced specifically for a non-television medium. The possibilities for this type of business venture are endless. Down the road, more and more shows could begin to follow in the footsteps of Arrested. There would be no more worrying about getting to the TV by 8:00 so you dont miss the show and no more waiting seven days for a new episode of your favorite show to see whats going to happen next. Then there is the possibility of this type of movement gaining traction and snowballing; that is to say that if tons of shows started doing this, what shows would be left for actual TV? It would take a long time for a medium like television to die completely, but something so convenient and on-demand could catch on quickly. One drawback to this type of programming is that will only be accessible on a TV to those with an Xbox or Playstation 3, but anyone with a laptop (which is everyone in this day and age) could stream episo des as well. NEW WAYS TO WATCH TV Video Clip and Summary Clip: http://www.kimatv.com/news/consumer/167124325.html?tab=videoc=y People today are now watching media in new ways at their own leisure and convenience. The media clip chosen discusses the potential internet TV applications have over basic network television or having to go a local store to rent movies. It begins by stating that, millions of people are streaming video from the Internet directly to their TVs, computers, or tablets (Slauson, n.pag). The video provides an example of a woman who normally used to prefer renting movies from a local store. In an interview she discusses the hassle of having to go back and forth to the local store as well as being charged late fees and concludes that internet TV application Netflix has simplified her life tremendously. In a recent poll of Consumer Reports online, Netflix has been stated to be by far the most-used video-streaming application, with more than 80 percent of those who streamed video having used Netflix (Slauson, n.pag). The video went on to discuss other applications such as Vudu, Itunes, and Ama zon Instant video that were chosen to be best services when looking for a great selection of movies. For free content, Hulu.com was the winner, allowing the user to stream TV shows as well as movies free on a computer. In order to watch this service on a TV or a tablet the user would need a Hulu Plus subscription, which is relatively cheap and cost about $8 a month-the same as Netflix (Slauson, n.pag). Consumer Reports also found that many users still preferred renting discs in which case Netflix again one of the best for selection.Various video streaming devices were also discussed for those who do not have internet capabilities on their TVs. Consumer reports found that some gaming systems as well as a lot of new Blu-ray players are great devices which have a lot of the internet TV applications built in. If you dont have one of those, Consumer Reports says a set-top box such as an Apple TV or a Roku Two are good choices. They work with just about any LCD or plasma TV and go for abo ut $100 (Slauson, n.pag). Overall, as one can see Internet TV applications are the new generation of viewing television or media in general. It allows the user total control over what they wish to watch, and how and when they wish to watch it. Questions! Has anyone ever completely watched an entire series on netflix? Would anyone consider not watching a show if new episodes were not available to stream online? 3. Would you watch television shows on your laptop exclusively, or does the size/definition of your screen matter too much? 4. Does the resurrection of Arrested Development mean that viewers now hold more power than ever? 5. Do you find that you watch more TV (including movies and clips) through applications such as Netflix, Hulu, etc? If yes, how often? 6. What devices do you usually view this content on? 7. Do you think it would be worth turning off cable and subscribing to these services?