TV will die soon

[Eric Arthur]

I had an interesting conversation this morning and the conclusion was that since most kids are more into Minecraft, Pewdiepie and Twitch, ordinary TV is going to be the realm of the old codgers and eventually it will die as advertisers find better ways to spend their budget to attract people who don't need life insurance and stair lifts.

 

The important question I have though is, what will David Mitchell and Stephen Fry do for money?

[bladesmans20]

TV channels will die out but the units will be made to plug even more devices into and more suitable for Internet browsing.

[999tigger]

Dont think so. TV is just more diverse and people consume it in different ways due to technology. Broadcasting is alive and well, we just dont all sit down in front of a box for x hours a day because there are other things to do. Good quality output has bever been higher.

[geared]

The traditional broadcasters are going to feel the squeeze more and more from online players, especially when it comes to delivering things like proper HD, 4K content and beyond.

[alchresearch]

I think the way broadcasters are going at the moment, new technologies will never be implemented or fully embraced.

 

Take HD for example. Its been out for years yet on Virgin BBC1 can't show regional HD programmes. Virgin charge me extra if I want ITV2-4 or E4 in HD. And they hide the HD channels way down in the programme guide (BBC 3 HD is channel 163).

 

3D TV has been a big flop, and I predict 4K content will go the same way.

 

BBC 3D programming 'on hold' indefinitely

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23195479

 

Sky’s 3D channel will close on June 9 [2015], all content moving to on-demand

http://thenextweb.com/uk/2015/04/28/skys-3d-channel-will-close-on-june-9-all-content-moving-to-on-demand/

 

And look at the low initial take up for Freeview. If it wasn't for turning off analogue TV, people would still be happy with 5 channels.

Edited January 14, 2016 by alchresearch

[L00b]

Scheduled broadcasts will not die anytime soon, if only because (i) the volume earners that are sporting events can only ever happen on a specific date over a specific time period and (ii) the fixed set of broadcast spectra/frequencies can always be used up (with content, new or repeated) in-between, so long as the use at least breaks even.

 

In terms of main consumer tech advances (or adoption), my money would be on OLED short-term and VR longer-term.

 

VR may eventually become 'the new HD' or 'the new Sky' in the medium term, with Sky/Virgin/Netflix/etc. subscription-based models offering the full immersive 360 broadcast experience, whilst the vast majority of the market lumbers on progressively to adopt HD IPTV as the standard norm.

[Cyclone]

I had an interesting conversation this morning and the conclusion was that since most kids are more into Minecraft, Pewdiepie and Twitch, ordinary TV is going to be the realm of the old codgers and eventually it will die as advertisers find better ways to spend their budget to attract people who don't need life insurance and stair lifts.

 

The important question I have though is, what will David Mitchell and Stephen Fry do for money?

 

Broadcast TV might eventually fizzle away (and we're talking about a very long tail off), but TV as in programs made to be watched in serial form won't disappear.

 

Look at how popular some of the shows are now. The Great British Bake Off had something like 8 million viewers (not me), soaps routinely pull in millions of viewers (again, not me). Drama's such as Doctor Who (not me) are very popular, The Walking Dead is a huge success (me)...

 

And that's just a very short list off the top of my head.

 

Even if you don't watch these when broadcast (I don't, I have scheduled recording), they are still watched best on a large format TV. So whether I get them through netflix, virgin, the internet, a.n.other service, it's still TV.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Cyclone

[Eric Arthur]

We're just talking about the tech here though. The screens are so varied now that the content is being delivered all over the place, but less and less to TV's in the corner of the room where the viewing is shared. The problem for TV stations is that is mainly where they are serving up the content with schedules that need recorders.

 

Netflix style delivery on a big tablet seems to be the big leap. Having a whole series of House Of Cards on demand from the release date makes the idea of remembering to tune into an episode a week seem like the dark ages.

 

If YouTube ever manage to get into content creation or syndicate with NetFlix /Amazon etc it's curtains for the BBC and ITV. I can see that they could be forced to put Corrie / Emmerdale Farm / Eastenders there soon so their lifeline might be to become content creators instead of broadcasters.

[swede1973]

The image of familes sat around the TV on an evening are long gone, well it has in our house. Its a rare we sat around the same dinner table. Its now the era of streaming what you want to watch when you what to watch it. Advertisers always find new ways to make money.

[Cyclone]

Is there any evidence in a decline in the number of households with TV sets?

 

I'd think that the opposite is true, most households now have more than 1 TV set.

 

Programs are still best viewed on large format devices. Sure I CAN watch something on my phone or tablet, but the TV is just far better.