Future Of Television Is Self-Service, P2P Distributed Media Consumption

[SOURCE: MasterNewMedia Network News, AUTHOR: Robin Good]
[Commentary] Today, 90% of people in the U.S. receive television signals into their homes via cable or satellite transmission. These media distribution services and, to a large extent, the content they distribute, are owned by a small and shrinking number of very large companies. However, as broadband access to the Internet becomes commonplace in the home and the cost of computing devices drops, there is potential for a new type of network to emerge that provides people with access to entertainment, information, and personal connections that could replace and improve upon some of the functions of television, while increasing connections to external communities. By utilizing design innovations that provide advantages over the entrenched providers and by keeping the desires of consumers in mind, this technology could become a compelling complement or alternative to the portfolios of services provided by traditional media distributors. Television as we know it is going to change dramatically in the coming months and years. What used to be the magnet creating a gathering point of people around the tube at specific times of the day, will radically change its communication and content delivery approach to assume many new ones. For those executives that come from the traditional broadcasting world I think one short motto I have used before sums up well what the future of television will be like: Prime Time Is Anytime and Anytime Is Prime Time.
http://www.masternewmedia.org/television_media/television_future/future_television_as_self_service_distributed_media_20060105.htm