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4 Reasons Web Shows will eventually take over Broadcast TV

With more and more customers “cutting the cord” from their cable subscriptions, web shows can provide unique programming for their visitors and customers. Hulu and Netflix are doing just that. Next week, according to Yahoo! News, Netflix will be releasing, Lilyhammer, a show about a New York mobster relocating to Norway. Hulu will also be releasing original programming next week called Battleground ”a faux-documentary sitcom about the young operatives of a middling political campaign in Wisconsin”¹.

Four reasons why web shows will eventually take over broadcast TV:

• Cost. The price of cable television is getting more expensive. With a struggling economy, people are looking for places to cut and cable is one of those areas. Record losses of cable subscriptions occurred last year. For the lowest Verizon Fios package with Internet and HD TV it costs 74.99 per month. That’s about 900 dollars a year.  Comcast’s Double Play package with Internet and TV costs 69.99 per month. That’s about 840 dollars a year. Hulu Plus which enables you to access programming on multiple platforms costs 7.99 a month.  That’s around 96 dollars a year.
• Accessibility. Cable TV allows you to watch some shows online. Some broadcast news organizations are requiring you to have a cable subscription to watch and access content online. For example, News12 in NJ requires a login before gaining access to their website. The advantage web shows will have over broadcast TV is accessibility. Websites like Hulu can be accessed on smart phones, tablets, computers, and television at a much cheaper rate than TV. It’s important to note that newer televisions are able to connect to the Internet and able to connect to services like Hulu Plus and Netflix.
• Ability to talk about the show. Watching programming online enables viewers to be more engaged with the video. People can discuss what’s happening with shows with other people who are watching. Twitter and Facebook help generate discussion about the show’s content, characters, and plot. People can also share with people what they’re watching on GetGlue. GetGlue works a lot like Foursquare. Broadcast television is trying to get you talk about their programming. NBC and ABC for example are placing the show’s hashtag (e.g.: #alcatraz) for you to join the conversation on Twitter. This is an excellent first step, but now we need smarter televisions to allow us to do it right there on our televisions.
• Shareability. One successful method of generating traffic to particular web content, not necessarily video, is the shareability factor. For example, if more people like the television show they’re watching online they’re more likely to share the video with their friends on social media websites. Because broadcast television exclusively limits access to their shows it limits the ability for their shows to be shared across multiple platforms. The secret is producing excellent and original content that can be easily shared across multiple platforms (e.g.: TV, web, tablets, smart phones). The easier you make it for people, the more likely people will share it online.

1. http://news.yahoo.com/review-netflix-hulus-scripted-originals-135026782.html [↩]

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