Television and
film are becoming more interactive with the aid of social networking and other
emerging technology. Interactive television is becoming increasingly popular
with many modern television having a ‘return path’ so not only can information
flow from the broadcaster to the consumer but also vice versa. This means that
people will be able to buy goods through their televisions, change the outcome
of a television show (for example The X Factor and voting on who wins) and
click on advertisements to find out more about a product or service that is of
interest to you. However many are critical of such technologies because not
only do they allow the consumer more freedom of choice and a viewing experience
that is more clearly targeted at them but it also means that broadcasters are
collecting information about the viewer.
NHS Direct run an
interactive TV service where viewers can search for their local health services
by putting in their postcode and they are testing the idea of having people
able to book an appointment with their GP through their television. This can be
good for homes without internet access and for those who have resisted new
technologies as they can do it through their remote controls, a device they are
already familiar with. However interactive TV is currently slower than the
internet and many people still see the television as a source of entertainment
rather than a means of interaction.
The internet has
had a huge impact on the TV and film industries with close to a billion people
now having access to the internet. In 2005 Google became the highest valued
media company in the world and YouTube has become a huge viewing platform for
people across the world. In order to stay competitive, TV and film companies
have had to become more flexible and allow consumers greater choice in the way
they watch films. To help combat film piracy from illegal downloads, there are
now a huge range of legal ways to stream films over the internet such as the
Lovefilm and Netflix subscription services. Similarly On Demand services from
Channel 4 (4OD) are now also available on the internet meaning that audiences
can watch what they want, when they want. Internet televisions will offer On
Demand, live television and catch up television and may even have cameras that
can watch the viewer and target adverts by their responses to others.
Next up I will look at High Definition, streaming and On Demand services.
More in this series:
Satellite and cable TV
Move from analogue to digital technologies
HD, streaming, On Demand, Pay Per View, Digital Recorders
More in this series:
Satellite and cable TV
Move from analogue to digital technologies
HD, streaming, On Demand, Pay Per View, Digital Recorders
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