The future of TV & Internet

TV is not dead (yet)

According to my good old friend Jeremy Clarkson of the BBC, the future of TV isn't very bright :

"For as long as most of us can remember, we've had something called schedules. Top Gear, for instance, goes out on a Sunday at 8pm. Just after something with Richard Hammond in it. And just before Richard Hammond on ice. Simple.

But very soon, the idea of sitting down at a specific time to watch a specific programme will end. Instead you'll watch whatever you want, whenever the mood takes you. You'll start at 9.14pm with Dr Who, And then after some music videos and a spot of pornography, you'll go to bed.

There won't be a BBC or an ITV or a Channel Four. There won't even be 'televisions'. There'll simply be a big vault of programmes which viewers will access on their computers."

 

None of what he says here is wrong, nor is it absolutely right either. What I mean is that there could be another theory on the future of TV (and newspapers, magazines, radio,...). Personnaly I don't think that the Internet will replace all of the traditional media. In fact I think they could, and should, use the Internet as a complementary medium.

 

Here is my point

What Internet gives you and that traditional media are unable to give you are some small extras. Such as exclusive information, time sparing or personalized contents. Therefore, I think traditional media should leave the task of bringing extras to the Internet and bring to the consumer what the Internet can't give.

Now the BBC are trying to bind traditionnal media together with the Internet. They are in fact broading their magazines. Take Top Gear for instance: the core media is the TV show. That show is basicaly seen by all petrolheads in Britain. What else do petrolheads consume ? Printed motoring magazines ? There you go then, here's your Top Gear paper magazine.

Hold Petrolheads are also active on the Internet ? Yep ! When you miss the show on TV, you can still watch them on Youtube. Until now, the Top Gear website has been quite desapointing. It's still good to visit it when you can't wait another week or another season to see the next TV show, or if you don't want to pay 8 euros to buy the paper magazine. 

The problem with the Top Gear website is that most of what you find on it is old news : articles from last month's paper magazine, short clips of last episodes (way too short), and some other things you won't even read if you're not specificaly looking for them. It's true that people at Top Gear are trying to tease the audience for the next TV shows, but come on, don't do it with old stuff !

What the BBC should do now is create content specialy for their websites instead of using some old stuff in bitesizes. Oh, and stop deleting complete episodes on Youtube, that's a big mistake pals. Because if you let people watch the complete old shows on the Internet (unlike those tiny little clips of yours) you may attract them to the traditional TV show which they will be able to see in "première".

Give us some extras !