« Windows Media Center Beta | Main | TiVo Canada How-To »

BW on television woes

Business Week has a long piece on trends in the TV industry. In the face of falling numbers of younger viewers who are migrating to DVD movies, video games, cable TV and the Internet, creative TV executives are copying their competitors (Extreme Home Makeover is a copy of Trading Spaces, which is a copy of a British show.) They also touch upon DVRs:

In the next few years, an even bigger distraction is coming in the guise of the digital video recorder (DVR) -- the time-shifting, ad-zapping machine that will allow folks to retrieve programs from last night, last month, or just about anywhere in the TV universe. Satellite and cable companies, in a fierce battle to win subscribers, will soon be all but giving DVRs away.

We seem to be continually hearing about the challenges the incumbent media have in the face of new trends, new technologies, etc. but changing the actions of millions of people does take time, and in that time, the incumbents can regroup, create new strategies, and attempt to win back their customer base. Somehow I doubt the halcyon days (pre-cable) will ever return.
BW Online | January 21, 2004 | Trouble in TV Land

by Gen Kanai January 21, 2004 in News

Comments