Here’s an enlightening look from Paul Graham at why the Internet is luring people away from television and newspapers. The writing, as they say, is on the wall for the old broadcast models.
(h/t COD)
Here’s an enlightening look from Paul Graham at why the Internet is luring people away from television and newspapers. The writing, as they say, is on the wall for the old broadcast models.
(h/t COD)
I read that yesterday, and just saw the following this morning – http://www.morganwarstler.com/post/83348608/paul-graham-swings-and-misses-what-he-doesnt-get – an interesting rebuttal
I think that the advantage of watching online is that you can choose what you watch and when you watch it. Except for pro football, which I want to watch live, that is hard to beat.
But continuing on with talk about sports, I can’t watch an Oklahoma State game unless they are good enough to be on National TV and playing someone in the ACC. I can pay a relatively small premium and get it on the internet.
Also, regular TV is dominated by sponsors with undifferentiated products. That is they have products that only sell because the advertising convinces you to sell them, not because they are actually better than the other products. These are the only people who can afford the price of advertising on prime time TV. In order to sell their products, these sponsors are looking for a a particular type of show and the audience to go with it. Not my type of show.
My only hope for quality entertainment is the internet. Well my type of quality entertainment. You may not find what I like enjoyable at all; but, if there are enough like minded individuals, you’ll find something you like.
Or you could be lucky and just love “survivor Paris Hilton wants to be a millionaire playing patty cake with Hiraldo” or what ever the latest in “reality” tv is…
I agree Ralph. Let the market decide if TV as we know it lives or dies, even PBS. If the TV execs. can get $3 mil/minute for a commercial during the SuperBowl, more power to them. If the Jerry Springer commercials can’t pull in the $$$’s maybe that show and those types of shows should go. Unfortunately, people watch that crap.
They watch it because it is the only stuff available.
It is not an example of free market, it is an example of the least valuable product can afford to buy the audience. Provide a real free market place and you will see something more like a Borders book store. You have space allocated for everything from magazines to Philosophy books. If the space in a book store were limited and allocated by people willing to pay for the space, you would see something much more like television.
The internet is the only place where you are likely to see the kind of open market choice.
By the way, look at all of the big entertainment companies and how they are looking to block net neutrality (read net open market). They would love to keep the status quo by making sure only limited numbers of companies have enough band width to show their product. They’ve already extended copyright to a ridiculous length to make sure they have the movies and songs locked up.
You are the perfect example of the free market. You made a choice to watch or not watch network TV. If enough people choose to not watch, the advertising revenue will not be there. Companies will advertise somewhere else. Won’t happen over night, but I think you and Mark have pointed out a trend.
Hey Todd, how’d that free market stuff work out with the mortgage industry? 🙂
Are you talking about the free market where the gov’t forced the lending companies to lend to people that really did not qualify, in the name of diversity?
Oh, so it’s the government’s fault. I suppose greed had nothing to do with it.
The gov’t has played a major role in this mess and it is making a bigger mess with the “bail outs”.
Greed is sometimes a good thing. For example, you went to work today so you could get paid, so you could afford the lifestyle that you have become accustom to. If you were not “greedy” you would live off the land in your self built shack in some 3rd world “non greedy” country.
I guess I took us a little off topic. Weren’t we talking about television.
Sorry.