This topic is worth discussing because it reflects the evolution of the television industry. From a time of massive tube televisions, to TV on multiple platforms, it is clear that the field has come a long way. Also, it is a reflection of the industry’s attempt to regain ground. TV Everywhere is the cable provider’s response over-the-top (OTT) Internet video providers like Hulu and Hulu Plus that are ultimately forcing a loss of revenue. In addition to this, TVE provides an answer to cord-cutting. Cord-cutting occurs when a customer “ends their relationship” with the cable company. In order to win back the customers lost, as well as obtain new customers, cable companies are joining forces in the TVE craze. According to Paul Levinson, author and Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University, “TV Everywhere is definitely the way this is all headed…this is the future of television” (Spangler, 2011). This type of technology is much needed for the industry’s survival in modern society. TVE has the potential to lead the way in transforming the way we perceive television overall. “TV Everywhere will serve as a catalyst for a migration to more IP-centric video delivery and, potentially, all-IP delivery in the long term (Faltesek, 2011).
TVE is worth writing about for a number of reasons. As previously stated, it is an important step in the right direction for cable providers. It is the way to combat the competitors and take back customers. Also, TVE is worth writing about because it is a new form of technology. Being informed of new technologies is detrimental in this era because society is dominated by it. New inventions are additionally full of potential and error. There are still a large number of improvements tha...
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... time (Levy, 2010). Due to the fact that TVE has roots in all of the major technologies (telephone, television, and the Internet), it is truly one of the most profound creations because it shows progression of all three fields, not just one or the other. Distributors and programmers alike are rolling out products that deliver content to new platforms: smartphones, tablets, game consoles and smart TVs. By blending the technologies that are most dominant today, TVE is trying to make a permanent place for itself. This technological advancement is still very new so it has growth of its own to achieve. However, it is always necessary to reflect upon the history of a concept to recognize the ways it can be utilized and further transformed in the future. TVE’s history is a colorful blend of all technologies that made society into the multi-tiered civilization it is today.
Although the VCR was first released to the public in 1974, it wasn’t until the early 1980’s that the public began catching on to this new invention. Still, the VCR was the most quickly adopted device of its time. In just three years, the sales of VCR’s jumped from 1.3 million units in 1981 to nearly 8 million units in 1984. The popularity of the household device was quite obvious, but the success of the VCR did not come so easily. Three years earlier, in October of 1981, after some struggle, the US court finally ruled that the home taping of broadcast signals was not an infringement. After that, the VCR quickly became a popular household device across the country (Winston 126-129). “The most common use of the VCR’s is to record TV programs fro viewing at a later date” (“VCR’s” 42). This so called “time shifting” was the foundation for the VCR’s success. Aside from its obvious TV connection, the VCR also provided a whole n...
The many evils that exist within television’s culture were not foreseen back when televisions were first put onto the market. Yet, Postman discovers this very unforgiveable that the world did not prepare itself to deal with the ways that television inherently changes our ways of communication. For example, people who lived during the year 1905, could not really predict that the invention of a car would not make it seem like only a luxurious invention, but also that the invention of the car would strongly affect the way we make decisions.
The ‘Golden Age of Television’ is what many refer to as the period between the 1950s and 60s when the television began to establish itself as a prevalent medium in the United States. In 1947, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and the Du Mont Network were the four main television networks that ran stations with regular programming taking place. (Television, 2003) While regular television programming was a new innovation, the television itself had been commercially available for over twenty years prior to the 50s. It was conceived by many worldly innovators and went through several testing stages before it was finally completed in the late twenties. The three main innovators were Niplow - who first developed a rotating disk with small holes arranged in a spiral pattern in 1884, Zworykin - who developed the Iconoscope which could scan pictures and break them into electronic signals (a primitive form of the Cathode Ray Tube) in 1923, and lastly Fansworth - who demonstrated for the first time that it was possible to transmit an electrical image in 1927. (Rollo, 2011) However, one of the many reasons why this medium was successful in the 50s was due to the fact that it became more accessible to the public. Television sets were more affordable to middle class citizens which created further interest in the new technology. Through an historical account of the medium, the spread of television across America throughout this particular decade will be examined.
Determining the right target segment requires an analysis of the customer, company and competition (fig. 2). TiVo's customer is defined by unmet needs in the market. While TV is one of the most ensconced and ritualistic elements of contemporary American life, there are still aspects of television viewing that do not fulfill customer needs. An estimated 68% of Americans complained that they felt "widowed" by their loved one during the Fall television season because their spouses were chained to their televisions during primetime from 8pm to 11pm. Additionally, parents expressed a difficult time getting their children to do homework during key television programming times. In general, this is evidence that consumers want greater control over their television consumption habits. Analysis of the TiVo Corporation reveals their core competencies, which include proprietary software, national distribution through established retail outlets such as Best Buy, Circuit City and Sears and product co-branding with trusted electronics giants Philips and Sony.
In this case study we will gain a better understanding of TiVo, Inc. and how it has struggled to find success in a market they are known to be the innovator. At this point there are very few television viewers in North American that do not know what TiVo does for TV viewing. However, most consumers do not know the history or struggles this company has been through since creating the product in the late 1990’s. After reading this case study it is clear the creators of the TiVo were visionaries but it is also clear they were not business people too. Sadly, this might be the eventual demise of the company that clearly had the market in the palm of their hand. We will examine some of their flaws and how TiVo might regain some of the momentum to become a profitable organization.
The Cosby Show was the pinnacle of American television. Based on an affluent African-American family in Brooklyn, New York, The Cosby Show demonstrated how to effectively raise a family. The sitcom starred Phylicia Rashad as Clair Huxtable, a confident, assertive, and eloquent attorney. Alongside Rashad was Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable, an eccentric and whimsical obstetrician. Together, Clair and Cliff reared five children in the midst of several complex obstacles. When faced with Sondra’s decision not to go to law school, Denise’s decision to discontinue her education, Theo’s satisfaction with mediocre grades, and Vanessa’s rebellious behavior, the Huxtables never ceased to use humor and discipline to convey strong moral principles. The Huxtables taught their children as well as viewers to work hard in school, challenge socially constructed gender roles, have strong familial relationships, and most importantly, not take themselves too seriously.
("Michael porter 's five forces competition theory model," 2016) This analysis shows the power of the customer willing to change from traditional means of TV to the use of the streaming medium as a primary means of entertainment. Also, the use of cellphones increasing its role in everyday life from a communication tool to a full-fledged media hub is making companies like Dish, DirecTV and Comcast realize they have a new market they need to gain a presence in exists and is not faddish or temporary. Over 600,000 subscribers have transitioned to Sling TV and are seeing accelerated subscriber growth as more people trade in their cable boxes for streaming media. According to the A Levy article over 800,000 people left their cable providers last quarter, and the paradigm shift is directly in line with the Porter’s 5 Forces analysis tool by showing the existence of threats of the new market entrants, (Hulu, Sony, etc.) the bargaining power of buyers willing to transition to cost-saving measures for their entertainment leaving Dish and DirecTV. The power of suppliers is there with new devices emerging like the Roku streaming box, Apple TV as well as PS3 's and Xbox 's being platforms to use as for viewing are active and present as
Television is an invention that has revolutionized the way people think, comprehend and receive information. Although television in today’s world is not the leading media source, however it still remains to be a prime example of media influenced outlet of information. Television over the course of the past few decades has intertwined its way into society’s day to day operation and will remain to influence people’s decisions.
Up until recently television has been the most prominent medium of entertainment and information in our lives. Nothing could beat Saturday morning cartoons, the six o'clock news and zoning out from the world by the distractions of prime time sitcoms. It is all of these things and more that formed television into what was thought to be the ultimate entertainment medium, that is, up until now. Television in the twenty-first century is not the television our parents watched or in fact what we watched as children. Today’s generation are no longer satisfied with the traditional television experience. Today’s audience no longer has to follow the network’s predetermined schedule nor is television the one dimensional experience it used to be. Viewers no longer need to schedule a fixed time in order to gather information or watch their favourite show (Smith 5). They can record it with the push of the DVR (Digital Video Recording) button or watch it on a device and obtain background information via the Internet. In addition, viewers now have the opportunity to interact with, share, and produce their own material from their favourite show (5). In order to not lose the authenticity of television, media theorists have created transmedia. This new twist on television gives the user more control and more involvement than ever before. The concept has been termed as transmedia storytelling. The online journal Infoline defines transmedia storytelling in its January 2014 issue as “social, mobile, accessible and re-playable.” Originally coined in the 1990’s it was not until 2003 when Henry Jenkins, a professor of communications at the University of Southern California, wrote his article “Transmedia Storytelling” that the term began being ...
The digital evolution began to transpire on November 1, 1998. Since then there have been many other forms of digital technology adopted by our society and digital television quite possibly is next. “The speedy conversion to digital technology will have profound interest benefits, permitting efficient spectrum use, optimizing the development of new technologies and services to consumers, and fostering diversity and competition(FCC).
Nightingale, V & Dwyer, T 2006 ‘The audience politics of ‘enhanced’ television formats’, International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics, vol. 2, no.1, pp. 25-42
Television technology has been a controversial issue since its debut in the early 1940s. In order to fully understand any controversial issue, one must be presented with both the pro and the con sides of the issue. One must understand and be able to argue both sides of the issue in order to become a successful and well-educated person. Being a member of the pro-technological society, one is well educated on the pro side of this issue. That is, the positive effects that television technology has on society: Television's entertainment value, the ability to get "up to the minute" news coverage from around the world, and the uses of television as an educational tool. In order to understand the con side of this issue, one can look at the work Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television, by Jerry Mander. This work provides four strong arguments against the television technology and gives reasons why the technology should be eradicated. Through the study of this work, one can become better equipped to argue the con side of the issue, thus becoming a well-educated member of society, conscious of the effects that television has on him/her.
The 20th century marked the beginning of a new era - 'the modern age.'; Some of the greatest minds the human race has ever witnessed lived and worked during the last several decades. These 'fathers of technology';, who arrived well ahead of their time, created the world as people know it. Car, airplane, rocket, are only few of the inventions that prepared mankind for the 180 turn. Some of the inventions found their usage in every day's life, such as: radio, toaster, washing machine…and finally, TV. The TV industry started its development with the invention of the first TV set, somewhere in the early 1950's, and has never stopped growing since.
Television has revolutionised the way we see the world and has shaped us as human beings. We have seen the most cherished and beloved moments as well as the cruelest and heart-wrenching on the small screen. Public service broadcasters were the first to emerge with the invention of the TV and to this day produce television programmes to millions of people around the world. Over the past six decades, television has evolved and new technology developed at rapid speed and it
...e of a culture industry, TV programs should correspond to the contemporary culture and background of the time. Simultaneously, it is required to deliver positive energy to the public. No matter how the society changes, the influence of television will continue to be profound and durable!