Content Delivery Is About to Charge in a Big Way!

There is a very important story out today that comes on the heels of what I have been speaking about for the last several years: That how media is delivered is about to change in a dramatic way. We have off-air TV, cable, satellite, the Internet with TV sets being manufactured with the Internet and social media built in, and of course the big dog: Google.

According to today's story that Google IS going after $150 billion-per-year pay television market.
"The company’s already announced plans to build a fiber-optic high-speed Internet service in Kansas City, Mo. and Kansas City, Kan., and according to The Wall Street Journal [subscription required], now Google might be thinking about ways to expand that into pay video and telephone services."

"That would put Google in direct competition with cable companies and phone companies that have expanded into what’s called the “triple play” of communications: cable television, telephone and high-speed Internet."

"Google’s negotiations with content creators could also give Google TV an advantage it has never enjoyed before, where the biggest weakness of the company’s potentially groundbreaking TV service was the lack of cooperation of content creators. If it puts itself on equal footing with the other pay TV providers, it might be in a better position to offer its Google TV service as a hub for video, no matter where it comes from."

More People Worldwide Watch More Channels on More Devices

MediaPost.com is reporting on findings from the Accenture second annual Global Broadcast Consumer Survey and the results are quite revealing.....

• TV viewing has grown since last TV channels vs. 35% in 2008.
• 39% watch eight or more TV programs per week vs. 33% last year.
• Respondents who said they would also enjoy viewing content on other devices increased over the last year.
• There were 13-point increases in the number who would watch content on personal
  

David Wolf, a senior executive with Accenture's Media & Entertainment practice, concludes that "Consumers are making choices based on what they've tried, liked and rejected and are now selecting content and its delivery platforms... the modes of consumption that provide an alternative to the traditional TV experience are becoming part of everyday life... "

Despite more alternatives like the Internet and on-screen program guides, 40% of consumers use commercials to find content they would like to watch, 33% channel surf, 30% look to recommendations from friends and family, and 28% to TV listings.

(c) MediaPost.com

Fisher Joins Interactive TV Ad Platform

MediaPost is reporting that Fisher Communications (Northwest) will use an interactive TV ad platform that bounces viewers from TV to the Web. With the technology, viewers who are intrigued by an ad can use their remote control to click an icon -- which prompts additional content related to the spot to be sent to a personal Web site.

That supplemental information -- which can detail special offers or longer-form content -- can then be accessed on-demand.

The TV-to-Internet service is known as Clickable TV and comes from Boston-based Backchannelmedia. Station groups Gray Television and LIN TV are among those that have agreements with the company.