The Coming Golden Age of Television

[Commentary] Television is emerging as the dominant medium of the digital age. Yes, you read that right. Television.

By just about any measure, television is a very healthy industry -- with viewership, advertising and subscriptions all on the rise. In fact, in terms of overall revenue, TV networks and video programming are among the only media to grow since the advent of the Internet (aside from the Internet itself). For audiences, there's more choice than ever before -- with higher quality and more original programming. But now television is at a critical moment in its evolution. Whether audiences continue to enjoy this golden era of TV will depend largely on whether content creators continue to stay apace of consumer needs and make strategic decisions that favor long-term sustainability over short-term dollars. I believe the best path for TV's next phase is clear. For the past 15 months, Time Warner, along with a growing number of content and distribution companies, has been implementing a new strategy called TV Everywhere. It operates on a simple but powerful premise: If you have access to television in your home -- whether through rabbit ears or a paid cable, satellite or telco subscription -- you should be able to view all the channels you receive on demand on whatever broadband device you wish. TV Everywhere is not about favoring one TV network model over another, or protecting outdated paradigms. It's about harnessing technology to redefine TV in the 21st century in a way that continues to give viewers the best possible experience, and ensures that great programming will continue to be created and enjoyed.

[Bewkes is the chairman and chief executive of Time Warner]