Rob Paterson recently did a post, TV and Radio and the web,
where he reported some interesting survey data. The desire to hook up their TV
to the Web is rising in US Internet users. In 2009, the percentage of US
interest users that would like to hook up their TV to the Web: ages 14-26
– 74%,, ages 27-43 – 71%, ages, 44-62 – 59%, and ages 63-75 – 46%. In talking
with a number of people in their 20s and 30s, they say that they only watch TV
in the OnDemand mode. I have tried this and it was a great way to watch and
tape the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert.
Rob wrote that he has cancelled his cable access and has been connecting
directly to the web for 2 months now. He writes that the reasons for doing this
are: greater control, , no ads, no paying for unwanted content, and plenty of
good Web TV content. Also the the pathways there – iTunes, Veoh, YouTube are good enough and getting
better. He uses a simple mini connector on his MacBook to link to his TV set
and uses the screen management feature to synch the screens. I can do the same
on one of my TV sets, the one I purchased in 2009. Rob adds that in 2010 even
these simple technical hurdles will go away.
Rob predicts that in 2011 the Web will be the channel for TV. Others
have said it will happen in 2010. For example, eMarketer CEO Geoff Ramsey
writes in his 2010 Predictions
Round-Up, “The Consumer Electronics Show in early 2010 will usher in
TVs with direct Internet connectivity, or with on-screen access to content
portals such as YouTube, Blockbuster and Netflix. As online video becomes intertwined
with the living-room TV experience, download and streaming services will take
on a prominent role in the home entertainment ecosystem.”
I am looking forward to this as I watch Van Morrison’s live performance
of Astral Weeks on my TV through DVD. It should only get better. This convergence will only increase the amount of content generated through social media and develop new audiences for this content. At Darwin Ecosystems we eagerly await this trend as it will only increase the value that the Darwineco Awareness Engine™ can provide.