Blog Post #1

Kyle Miller

The Internet and its various media options including wildly popular mediums of watching media such as YouTube and Netflix have surely affected television but it's not in a negative way like you'd think. In Toby Miller's "Television Studies: The Basics", Miller argues that "In fact, YouTube videos are the greatest boom imaginable to mainstream US TV. Rather than substituting for television programs, these excerpts and commentaries promote them, promising new business opportunities provided they can be legalized." For example, a good amount of the views on YouTube go to videos posted by major media companies advertising their products such as TV shows and movies.

Television is much easier to access now so media companies have discovered new ways to profit off of their product. Ease of access has allowed people to watch television programs on devices other than the television. That's where Netflix comes in. Netflix houses thousands of different TV shows that can be accessed at the touch of a button. They charge a rate of $8 a month for access to their services and of course, Netflix has to pay the media companies to license their shows. This is actually making TV more popular than ever. According to recent figures, viewers in the United States and the United Kingdom are seizing of the small screen, with 49 percent of consumers now viewing over-the-top content (Internet) as well as usual TV fare. (Newsroom.cisco.com)

Advertisers are hurt by all of this viewership outside of the television itself. It's commercials are reaching less people there but they've found a way around it. On free platforms such as Hulu and Youtube, they've bought ad time before videos and in the middle of videos. Unfortunately for the viewers, there presence can't be missed. All in all, the Internet has been positive for television. It creates a new medium for sharing content as well. Just as people every second are sharing their thoughts on television programming every second on social media. The television industry is still growing but it's also casually shifting to become more accessible. But don't expect the television itself to die out anytime soon, it is still the past time of many people.

Sources:
http://newsroom.cisco.com/feature/1119737/How-the-Internet-is-Changing-the-Way-We-Watch-Television