THE TV GUIDE

John Steedman, Chairman and Chief Executive of Group M in his piece ‘Television reborn as newest social medium’, (2012), suggests that TV is not actually dying but it is simply being “reborn” as the “second-screen phenomenon or multi-screen”; engaging audiences in brand new ways. People are now multi-tasking where the “second screen is the tablet or mobile phone”, allowing people to engage in “instantaneous water-cooler conversations” rather than waiting until you see each other to discuss a live TV event or new episode of a show (www.thinktv.com.au, 2012).

 

Some have fears that viewers are distracted by the large number of platforms available to them whilst watching TV, however there is no evidence to back up these claims. Instead, Steedman, (2012), suggests that “they're merely enhancing their experience and becoming more engaged with the content” by posting on Twitter such as with “the Nine Network's The Voice, which uses social media to drive its record- breaking ratings”. John also adds in statistics outlining that, “According to Nielsen, 60 per cent of online Australians have used the internet while watching TV, with multi- screen behaviour becoming a daily habit for many: 75 per cent of online Australians consume more than one medium at a time”.

 

This “multi-screen rebirth” of television as discussed by Steedman, can be referred to as remediation, which applies when a new medium is often presented as an improvement to old and traditional forms of media. In Remediation: Understanding New Media, (1999), David Bolter discusses the theory of remediation, explaining the concepts of immediacy and hypermediacy as what define it. Immediacy looks at connecting the viewer to what is shown in the media, making them forget about the media itself. Hypermediacy however, is a more intense media experience that draws focus on the medium. Bolter’s statements suggest that, “our culture wants both to multiply its media and to erase all traces of mediation: ideally, it wants to erase its media in the very act of multiplying them”, (Bolter, 1999 p. 5). Ultimately this means that television is reinvigorating itself by becoming accessible on multiple screens at any place and any time “offering a more immediate or authentic experience” (referring to immediacy). However this digital change also makes us, “become aware of the new medium as a medium”, (hypermediacy) as we are enhancing our viewing experience with a range of platforms (Bolter, 1999 p.16). This new awareness allows us the ability to critique remediated television practices in a way previously unknown to us in the history of the medium.

 

As a result of all that is accessible to us in this digital era, TV Tonight editor David Knox explains that many viewers are slowly switching to online streaming on their tablet or laptop instead of free to air broadcast television because of "the disappointing quality, as well as too many ads and unreliable programming” (Sydney Morning Herald, 2015). We know that audiences are frustrated by television advertising and often switch to other programs during breaks as it is. Therefore, it is no wonder that individuals would choose against switching on the TV and waiting for their program when they can stream it online - advert free.

 

Within the contemporary digital TV landscape, Scott Phillips highlights how “news comes more quickly via the internet... Weather is an app away and major sporting codes have their own smartphone apps and websites” and streaming is gradually taking over (The End of Broadcast Television? 2015). Much of what we watch or ‘binge watch’ in Australia, we access online where it is “sourced from overseas” Scott says - such as the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Hulu or Apple TV. It is undeniable that Australian broadcasters have been quick to realise they need to remain up to date and transition online, offering their own version of streaming services such as Presto and Stan. However, since Netflix launched in Australia, Phillips agrees that it has had an “almighty impact.” Platforms such as Netflix are threatening local television networks as well as in the U.S. and other Western regions because “the problem is that in the Internet age, content is king” (Phillips, 2015). Therefore when you have a business that operates to transmit the content others produce, you start to get into a little bit of trouble if you aren’t transmitting quality content.

Digital distribution is not only changing the platforms via which television is evolving, it is also allowing audiences to become more active and connected viewers, picking what and when they want to watch. This also means that viewer behaviours are shifting and this leaves production companies and broadcast networks with the challenge to deliver the content audiences want at the right time. As a result, television viewer metrics need to change to give these competitors a more accurate idea into the future landscape of television delivery. Until these crucial changes have been implemented, the Post-Network phase has not yet commenced. Australia and its Western neighbours are still negotiating the mutations and uncertainties of the Multi-channel transition phase.

Without the facts, it will be impossible to predict how digital changes will unfold and affect broadcast television, thus networks will be unprepared and will most likely fade behind internet consumption. The key for live broadcast television now is to keep focused on the active viewer and ensure that their needs are being met in order to prevent them from switching off and tossing the remote aside. Whether they like it or not though, audiences have had a taste of on demand viewing through an array of platforms and devices, so it will be difficult if not impossible for them to ever go back.