THE TV GUIDE

The big question so many agree to disagree about is whether traditional broadcast television’s days are truly numbered. Rightfully, there is no black and white answer however through statistics and analytics, there is evidence to support as well as discredit the statement.

 

In a piece on the Inquisitr, (2008), Duncan Riley suggests TV will be the first traditional form of media to fall – “The move away from traditional, or mainstream media is currently accelerating as more and more people switch to the internet for their information and entertainment. Sales of newspapers are declining, radio advertising is down, and television viewers are switching off in record numbers.” The piece discusses how the television industry is slowly dying as people have started steering towards online content such as Netflix and Apple TV, so TV networks are spending less money on creating content (prioritising reality television) thus causing even more people to switch off the box.

 

Riley suggests “…the Internet is altering the distribution methods of content and enabling content creators to go direct to market online without the need for television as a conduit and financier.” This is why production companies rather than television networks are now creating many shows. Riley also points out that the actual “experience of sitting around a large screen TV watching sport or other content is never going to fall, instead content delivery via broadcast television (i.e. television networks, or collectively the broadcast media) will fall”, (Inquisitr 2008). Our future content will be all digitally delivered and on-demand available from an array of providers.

 

Evidently, television is currently more exciting than it has ever been and the future holds unparalleled opportunities for innovation. Television now is no longer just a square box in your lounge room where the family argues over who watches what because if they miss their show, they might not see it again. Instead content now airs on multiple platforms at any time, allowing us to binge watch episodes or even seasons of shows at a time. Previously binge watching consisted of buying a box set of DVD’s that consisted of all the seasons of your favourite TV show, whereas now it is accessible at the touch of a button on your computer, smartphone or tablet. It is the phenomenon of multiple screens. As a result, the future holds unlimited creativity,. The landscape of TV is changing so rapidly that major networks and manufacturers have no choice but to adapt.The days of the TV guide are long gone.

 

An American article in People Press, (2012) outlines that the demographics of TV news is noticeably changing as demonstrated in the graph below…

 

 

The number of Americans who regularly watch television news “has slipped from 54% in 2006 to 48% in 2012” and continues to decrease. Even more alarmingly, the “number of 18-to-29 year-olds regularly watching local news has fallen from 42% in 2006 to 28%” in 2012. However, the article also highlights that despite the rapid growth of digital platforms, most Americans are still receiving their news from traditional delivery methods such as their television and newspaper, rather than digital platforms. Therefore it becomes more evident that it is not the news/reality content that is “dying” but more the television networks that are broadcasting these shows.

 

The Sydney Morning Herald, (2015), produced a piece stating that Australian audiences are also “turning away from live broadcasts – dipping into streaming, time-shifted and catch-up TV in the early evenings.” According to the piece, ratings from Australia wide “make it clear that traditional broadcast television isn't dying yet, but the way we interact with it is certainly changing.” Surprisingly, despite those who argue that traditional broadcast television is dead, approximately “80% of Australians still watch free-to-air television regularly.” Instead, it is their viewing habits and viewing times that have changed as a result of the Internet, subscription services and digital devices that allow them to catch up with their program at any time (Aussies turning away from prime-time live TV, Sydney Morning Herald). This shift away from watching live broadcast TV is becoming more apparent amongst most Western civilisations as these countries develop more advanced technology, thus realistically it is a shift many should not be surprised with as it has been predicted for a while now.

 

It would on the other hand be ignorant to suggest that television is dead right now when we take a closer look at Australian broadcast television. Traditional broadcasters have a number of options to transition into the digital sphere and mark their territory - they just need to act fast. The Conversation’s editorial, ‘Television is not dead, it’s just changing channels’, (2014), (pun intended), discusses how Australian broadcasters “are not only competing with each other, but also with new digital players” in their bid to keep broadcast networks alive. Evidently, these broadcasters aren’t rolling over and playing dead - Channels Seven and Nine are already “establishing streaming services in addition to their catch-up television offering. Stan is a joint venture between Nine and Fairfax, which streams online TV programs and movies” (The Conversation, 2014). We can see how determined they are to survive amidst this digital space that is becoming television.