The new power in media
Paul Kedrosky has a post on the Fox Business/CNBC showdown (or as he calls it “smackdown”) that sets the stage nicely for what should be an interesting storyline heading into 2008 as major networks figure out how to capitalize on their digital media assets.
Whether or not Fox or CNBC becomes the first to put live, free, and streaming video on the web, there is an underlying thought that I think all of this is prefaced on. And that is that people want choice: choice of what content they’re going to watch, where they’re going to watch it, and when they’re going to watch it. And sites like YouTube only force us to understand that “choice” isn’t just the notion of programs online. The bottom line is that these “channels” enable you to see content from people who, for the most part, have no chance in hell of ever being on “broadcast television”. And what about the sheer nature of video on the web serving as either a fix for what ails you or research for something you’re working on? Wanna see close-ups of cataract eye operations? Yep, they’re right there. Wanna give your kid a quick introduction to Alvin and the Chipmunks? Yep, those frenetic furries are there too.
There was a point not too long ago when I watched Geoffrey Rush’s Oscar® winning performance in the 1996 film, “Shine”. I had seen the film when it first came out but watching the film again made me seek out “The Rach”, which for those of you who’ve seen the film know that this refers to Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3—third movement. For a week or so, I was intensely interested in seeing as many performances of this piece. And “in the past”—oh you know—a year or so ago—I’d have gone to the library and hoped that there, in a fat chance, there would be an old, tired VHS tape of a performance. But, naturally, I didn’t do that. Instead, I went to that beautiful World Wide Web of interconnected computers and found some amazing performances, one of which is the unbelievable Horowitz who doesn’t even look as if he’s broken a sweat after 15 minutes and 13 seconds of playing.
The point: I entertained myself, found as much as I could handle and did it without turning on “the television” once. For that need, that Internet connection was beautiful….
And to Kedrosky’s point, would I have put up with ad-supported? Did it have to be free for me to partake? All I can say is that when you want to find something that’s meaningful to you, and immerse yourself in that subject, as long as it’s not an egregiously large output (money, banner ads, etc.), you’ll do it.
