by Laurent Blondeau , published on 15.09.2010

The old TV set is done. Forgotten, black and white. This 20^th century invention has gone through numerous changes and revolutions (color, digital, HD, 3D…) and seen its perimeter and its prerogatives evolve. First informative, directive and administrative, it opened up to entertainment and to numerous possible pleasures. The first households that had it were captivated; and somewhat hypnotized, under the influence of some kind of diabolic spell; the opponents of the small screen said at the time. Then the old set started heating up, became dirty, ugly and not very “green”.

Furthermore, thanks to convergence, other electronic devices now allow us to catch channels, images and video. The old TV is like a dog abandoned at the beginning of the summer vacations. Then, households turned to the web. And the web started doing television.

So the industry tried to reach people on the go. And television became mobile. Meanwhile, the players of the television industry are lost because the audience is not the same anymore, it changes, criticizes, zaps. The industry is wondering, they’re going to have to change something…but what? When? How? And for whom ?

It’s the great mystery of the value chain. Which content to acquire, which rights, for which uses, on which media and for how long? We are entering into the complicated era of segmentation…the black Ford T is over, the obsession of attracting and keeping pairs of eyes is worth gold (audience=advertizing=consumption). The brain is no longer available at the same time, for everybody and for the same needs.

I tired to summarize what we have in front of us today, to point out to the difficult equation this sector, and all those who work in it (editors, creators, distributors, diffusers, authors) are facing.

Obviously, it can seem a bit surprising, we can’t imagine such complexity in such a simple sector…Apparently. The financial situation has changed dramatically. Early television players didn’t see the technological wave coming and didn’t expect the social upheaval at hand, which even changed the behavior of under-50 housewives.

We now look at TV all the time (not necessarily more, the average audience has gone up to 3h30mn in a few years), better and everywhere (which also means on any support and via any receivers): the famous three “A”s (Anytime, Anywhere, Any device). But we watch it better, more selectively and in smaller chuncks. Everything is changing: our moods, our habits and our desires are their marching orders, the client is king. If television still wants to seduce, it has to reinvent itself. Whether it’s black and white, digital, HD or the new 3D, it doesn’t change anything: the question is, how do you view images ?

The reception device is certainly segmenting consumption (mobile or sedentary, uni or bi-directional), and continuity is necessary: at home, in coffee shops, in a train station or a hotel , walking or in the car, the images are the same… The matrix cube is much less insignificant than it seems. It determines:

. The necessary technology (reception, distribution, viewing)

. The necessary rights to purchase for an original work (book, VOD, windows, one shot distribution, catalogue, web – IP or DSL…)

. The equipment of the household and the existent compatibility (renewing, ascending compatibility, substitution…)

. The key competencies for the sector’s enterprises: broadcast or IP television don’t require the same competencies, HD is revolutionizing several professions

It’s the “rubik cube” of the television world… And we’re not reasoning theoretically: the technology is already here, the web progresses in leaps and bounds (debit, network, services), the market (consumer and viewers) also. We’re even able to reach new audiences (VOD has rallied several households that didn’t watch television, allowing them to create their own channels and programs): the dream of a personalized product, the social television phenomenon, a TV that resembles us, that listens to us and that show us our world. We’re witnessing events (Social TV Forum Europe) and the 3D revolution: starting with channels like ESPN, Discovery Channel, TLC… and Disney, which has its eye set on this innovation, and all that at this year’s CES in Las Vegas…

The old TV set is not alone anymore… It’s now integrated in a multitude of screens, networks and ways of distribution, it’s the emergence of Transmedia!

If you’re passionate about the subject, don’t miss this interesting article on agoramedia…here.

Laurent Blondeau, CEO of Buzzed-In

http://buzzedinlog.wordpress.com/