I Don't Watch TV Anymore

…That is at least in the traditional way. The technology industry is shifting to smartphones, tablets, and smart tvs all thanks to Web 2.0. With the rising costs of digital television, I decided to look for an alternative when I moved into my new apartment. If this had been just a few years ago there wouldn’t have been anything available. But with the 2007 Writers Guild Strike and Web 2.0 came new standards for the internet. Bandwidth was increased all-around by internet providers to support HD streaming. The strike helped spawn new creations such as Hulu, a tv website backed by the major companies such as NBC, Fox, and ABC. Hulu partners with television stations to display their programming, similar to DVR without having to pay. The pricing model is based around 1-2 ads per commercial break that are based on your profile. Instead of me watching a commercial for ladies’ perfume, Hulu remembers my preferences and is able to target more specific ads to my taste. I might not be interested in them but there is at least a better hit rate than before.

Instant Netflix was also born from the same event. For a small monthly fee that starts as low as $9, you can have access to current and past shows run by the big networks along with a library of movies that you’ll be sure to enjoy. I have been with  Netflix and haven’t paid for cable in about 9 months now, saving me a good amount of money. This new medium might not make much sense at first, but if you break it down, you’ll never go back to the traditional ways of viewing television again. Everything is now set up to be on demand versus airing once. Miss an episode of Bones on Fox? Watch it on Hulu for free with shorter commercial breaks than its counterpart. Want to watch the “classic” movie Over The Top? Subscribe to Netflix and be amazed at the HD video quality.

These new forms of how to watch television are just the start to a whole slew of ideas. People now follow certain celebrities on Twitter and actually tweet while watching live broadcasts of shows like the Oscars. Podcasts are now picking up so much steam that people are starting to replace talk shows with them. Be sure to be on board early on so you don’t miss anything interesting.

-Austin Stewart
Rainman Production Manager