[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: Brave New TV World

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
Brave New TV World
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1209564075.shtml


   Watching online the Dancing with the Stars episode I somehow FAILed to
   record has won me over. Even at the modest resolution of compressed
   video on a 1024x768 laptop screen and the generic audio heard over
   some old but responsive headphones, I was amazed. It wasn't emulation
   of a TV set. It was emulation of a home theater experience. I am more
   than familiar with every piece of the technology involved. I know how
   it all works. Nothing technically surprised me. But the total
   experience sure did.
   I should probably temper that with the fact I was watching a top
   flight, highly visual production with a full musical score. It
   obviously wouldn't be quite the same watching a snore fest like
   Washington Week in Review.
   Technically, television as we know it is on the way out, including
   much of what is today cable and satellite. Nothing new there. But the
   economic models that will take us there are equally dramatic I
   suspect.
   This 70 minute broadcast including maybe five 30 second spots
   (commercials), and a couple of promos. Where are the other 20 minutes
   or so of advertising going to go in the Web TV world? That represents
   most of the income and all of the profits.
   It may be that lavish productions like Dancing with the Stars and
   American Idol will prove just too expensive for Internet only
   distribution. But I also saw in this case that a sponsor had its
   product logo prominently above the image, and an ABC logo and a KSTP
   logo.
   This reminds me of the old days of TV, where sponsor banners were
   commonplace. Lawrence Welk had a big Geritol sign hanging behind the
   orchestra. What's My Line had a big desk where the four panelists sat,
   and emblazed on the front was the sponsor's logo, like "Phillip's Milk
   of Magnesia." Even "Old Gold Cigarettes" logos were proudly displayed
   on the host podium for a quiz show, and the contestants often received
   a couple of cartons as a parting gift.
   The old shows also pioneered product placement. Burns and Allen
   conveniently opened a kitchen cabinet to see the can of Maxwell House
   coffee. As in old time radio, sometimes the spots are written right
   into the script. What's old is new again, and this will be a big part
   of the new model, because the audiences of tomorrow will not be
   content to watch programs at the station's convenience or endure ever
   lengthening commercial breaks. I timed a recent prime time show break
   at six minutes!
   It's going to fun. The one thing to avoid is getting locked into low
   speed Internet solutions like most DSL and municipal Wi-Fi offerings.
   Fiber to the home (FTTH) and cable's 50-150 Mbps enhancements will be
   the new standards.