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This article is reprinted with permission from Streaming Media magazine, December 2007/January 2008. © Online, a division of Information Today, Inc.
Is there a more exciting place to be than in the midst of a massive transition to the internet as a transport for media delivery? We are all contributing to a technology shift of massive proportions—and it is having dramatic consequences for our culture in terms of how we all communicate and consume media. For music, telephony, news, sports, entertainment, corporate communication, training, and a host of other media categories. Internet media delivery is changing consumer expectations and behavior. By embracing the DVR, consumers have demonstrated a desire to be freed from the linear time constraints of traditional broadcast technology. And in time, consumers' growing desire to access video anywhere will drive widespread adoption of mobile video. But what is next, and what role does the Internet play in driving cultural changes in media consumption? Internet delivery offers freedom of choice to consumers, and dramatically lowers the cost barriers for content producers. Together these trends represent a flattening of the media economy. It has happened already in the music industry, and it is now happening for video content distribution. Some would have us believe that Internet delivery is solely an on-demand model. But there are many popular content types that have real-time value for consumers who want to see events as they occur. Sports, breaking news, audience interaction models, and shared community experiences offer compelling reasons for live delivery. Internet delivery technologies offer customers key advantages, and encourage business models that are simply not viable using traditional broadcast technologies. Furthermore, internet delivery enables more consumer control over the viewing experience, combining video and audio with data, interactivity, and collaboration opportunities. Consumers are shaping these experiences on their own today via two-screen interaction combining television viewing with laptop or mobile device interactivity and collaboration. For savvy early adopters taking advantage of this new technology, internet delivery enables customized advertising content to be delivered to targeted audiences. This advertising vehicle is less intrusive to viewers and more effective for advertisers by both expanding their reach and by more effective targeting.
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