Did video really kill the radio star? Maybe, but television still hasn't wrought the end of the film industry as it was prophesied to do (any more than the film industry ended live theater). And the Internet's reports of television's death have been greatly exaggerated.While it's true that Internet video viewership is up, traditional TV still soundly trounces it. As reported in the magazine of Online Media and Marketing & Advertising, the average time spent watching video on the Internet is 5-minutes a day. Compare that to the average 4.75 hours a day watching traditional television. Not bad for a "dead" medium.
So while the web and web video are growing in popularity, it still hasn't come close to turning television into the dinosaur they're claiming it to be. As a matter of fact, Nielson reported just last month that American TV viewership is at an-all time high. What about those 18-24 year olds that were supposed to have abandoned television for xbox, FaceBook and online porn? Well, they're watching approximately 118 hours of television a month while those 25 and holder are watching anywhere from 147 to 207 hours watching TV. Not too shabby.
Nielsen's report confirms what I've felt for a while now; that Internet video is probably not displacing traditional television any time soon. Not only do we have room in our lives for radio, TV, live theater, movies, the Internet and mobile technology - by God, we demand them all!
Speaking of changing technology, let's take a moment to talk about digital video recorders and commercials. Do you think that DVRs improve viewer's enjoyment of the programs their watching? Well think again. The New York Times recently reported on two separate studies that show that viewers actually rate programs as more enjoyable - yes enjoyable - when viewed with commercial interruption.
So, broadcast television is holding strong against Internet video, commercials improve the enjoyment of television, and I just happen to make commercials. I guess all I can say is, you're welcome.
But woe is the American newspaper? Thirty minutes of TV leaves nary a smidge of black ink on your fingers. That's stickiness, I say!
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