The Ultimate in Convenience: Online TV

It was inevitable that two or more of the many digital forms currently available would eventually be combined into one. The widespread adoption of iPhones shows this is already the case in mobile phones and online social media. And then there’s the Internet and television, two distinct mediums: one for fulfilling all of your information and communication needs, the other perhaps more for entertainment purposes, as a way to unwind at the end of a long day. Online gurus are capitalizing on the widespread appeal of television by developing sites on the World Wide Web where viewers can select the specific episode or season of their favorite show to view whenever they like. Have the Best information about Anupama Written Update.

Where do we stand?

Around 11 million people watched a new episode of Lost when it premiered online in 2006. Jupiter Research, a market research firm, estimated in 2006 that roughly 11% of all internet users routinely watched online movies. This number increased to 28% the following year. It continued to rise each year after that, most likely due to the widespread availability and low cost of videos on YouTube. People are spending more and more time online, but the popularity of websites that charge to watch their TV programs has continued.

Most online television is free of charge because it relies on the time-honored model of supporting itself through adverts and banner ads. For example, the US ABC network recently decided to post their episodes online the day after they aired on TV for free.

One caveat is that you will need more time to fast-forward through the inevitable commercial breaks interrupting your viewing. These commercials will be short (likely only three, each lasting one minute) and uniform (all coming from the same advertiser), maximizing their impact on viewers. You can understand how this concept tempts companies with the resources to invest in such massive amounts of advertising.

“Social TV” was all the rage.

However, progress has continued. The newest kid on the block is a hybrid of two Internet phenomena: online television and the social networking boom. It’s any TV service that encourages viewer interaction. Now we can watch our favorite shows online and discuss them with others who share our interests by commenting, rating, and even blogging. It’s yet another example of how the Internet is making people closer together. Of course, we’ve always “socialized” around a TV in some fashion, even just by talking about our favorite shows with our pals. Still, the novel idea here is that watching TV will evolve from passive to active. While watching TV, you can talk to others, share your thoughts on the shows you like, and otherwise engage with the world around you. It seems like a notion ready to take off in a world enthusiastically embracing online and social media.

Internet television, like WineLibrary TV, can help promote a company’s brand or serve as the brand itself. For example, Gary Vaynerchuk moved his multimillion-dollar wine business online to provide “non-stuffy” wine education to his audience. Fans of the show, who call themselves “Vayniacs,” hang out frequently on the website’s message boards and have made WLTV a phenomenon. In the tradition of devoted fan clubs, they even hold in-person meetups. This is the pinnacle of social television; viewers have identified a show or topic they are interested in and can now follow it online, learn more about it, and join related discussion forums.

Big dogs in the game

The most well-known is Hulu, which ABC, FOX, and NBC jointly formed to provide television programming to their audience at no cost to the networks. Popularity likely originates from giving American viewers access to popular episodes the morning after they air on regular TV. In addition, commercials on Hulu play at frequent commercial breaks, much like on broadcast TV. 18 Doughty Street is another well-known online TV station, claiming to have been the first British Internet-based TV station.

Despite only being on the air for a year, the TV station closed down as it sought to incorporate a ‘citizen journalism’ component by inviting site visitors to contribute recordings for possible airtime. If this had been a hit, it might have been one of the earliest experiments with the now-popular idea of social television.

The Next Steps

What does the future hold for this innovative fusion of two successful forms of media? Watching our favorite shows online is getting easier and cheaper, so we’ll witness the end of traditional television soon. Internet television is a concept that has been met with skepticism because many of us associate our computers with work and stress. In contrast, we often “switch off” and unwind in front of the TV with our favorite shows.

But in a world where we demand things quickly, and with a rising generation that started multitasking digital devices while still in diapers, it stands to reason that consumers will soon be seeking faster and easier-to-use mixes of the best mediums from around the world. And if this can also incorporate the social features that users enjoy, that would be fantastic.

Watch TV from the comfort of your… desk chair?

As an illustration, consider Diggnation. The founder of Digg.com (a website where anybody can submit articles, photographs, and videos) and a friend started this weekly online television show in 2005. It consists mainly of the two friends drinking beer, conversing, and debating the top stories that made Digg.com that week.

The show’s popularity has grown over the years, and it’s been dubbed “the Wayne’s World for Geeks.” Its success can largely be attributed to its engaging material and “I could be friends with that guy” hosts. As a result of its rising popularity, advertisers have begun approaching the producers to buy commercial time on the show.

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