Is the television industry's glass half empty or half full?

The current state of the television industry can be compared to the idiom, “Is the glass half empty or half full? The pessimistic view is that the end is nigh and television is on a steady decline with internet technology as its biggest threat. But there are many who take the optimistic “glass half full” approach and are looking for opportunities for television online.

Television’s once unassailable mass media dominance has been significantly reduced in recent years as networks have been squeezed by falling rates and the fragmentation their once loyal audiences.

Viewers can now choose between a growing number of digital channels, subscription TV and internet downloads of their favourite programs. They can skip the ads using personal video recorders like FoxtelIQ and TiVo, or once gain by downloading the programs.

And that’s not to mention the multitude of other devices competing for viewers attention, especially as new generations are being raised glued to mobile devices and 2 minute videos on YouTube.

The sun has set on television’s glory years and many in the industry lament its steady demise. These are dire times.

Or are they?

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Channel 7 has announced a third channel to be named 7Mate. The station will be squarely focussed on the male 16 to 49 demographic with a range of shows like Family Guy, American Dad, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother as well as more as the much maligned Jersey Shore and Punk’d.

The big question is how Seven’s regional affilliate, Prime, will react. When Seven launched their second station 7TWO , Prime took quite a while to respond, allegedly due to unhappiness over the name not being suitable for affilliates.

Will it be called Prime-mate?

Next month I am going to be a panelist at the 5th Annual Australasian Media & Broadcasting Congress in Sydney as media leaders discuss the industry and its future directions and I really need your help.

Is 3D the future of advertising?

One panel I am really looking forward to is titled The Future of Advertising. I’ll be discussing the big issues with Adam Good from Clemenger, Paddy Douneen from BMF, Marty O’Halloran from DDB Australia & New Zealand, John Sintras from Starcom Worldwide, Matt Whittingham from SingTel Optus and Paul Fisher from IAB Australia.

The initial question coming my way is based on a statement by Oscar-winning producer Jon Landau at the Cannes International Advertising Festival:

“3D is going to be the future of advertising”

Now I have been rather unexcited by the whole 3D thing and have my own opinions about it, but maybe I am way off base. So I’d really like to know what you think. Is 3D going to be the future of advertising? Is it just a fad, hyped by a desperate industry or is it groundbreaking technology that is going to make us love TV all over again and lap up the exciting advertisements that will be leaping off the screen?

I’d love to hear from people within the media and advertising industries. I’d also appreciate feedback from people who have invested in 3D televisions to understand their experiences so far.

All feedback is very welcome. I will compile the answers as part of my response to what I hope becomes a very lively debate at the Media & Broadcasting Congress.

Is traditional media and advertising reaching the end of the creative line? In an increasingly cluttered media landscape it seems that nostalgia is being seen as the way to cut through and grasp our remaining collective attention.

Radio has long used the “formative years” approach to appeal to different demographics. This means playing music that was new during the teenage years of the desired audience. The result has been a plethora of classic hits and golden oldies formats. Read the rest of this entry »

Meet the future of television, where broadcast TV and social media converge via the iPad. This video shows how the iPad can become a remote for your television viewing while also allowing you to share your viewing with friends. If you’re not convinced the television industry isn’t heading for major major change then this might convince you.

I originally saw this video on Mumbrella and tweeted out a link to it that generated big response because its just so interesting. So I thought I’d “file it away” here too.

source: Sydney Morning Herald 12 March, 2010

There’s been a decided shift in television viewing numbers already in 2010 and it seems to be a nationwide trend. Here in Newcastle we have been intrigued by the difference in audience numbers this year compared to the same time last year.

So far there seems to be an average of 20,000 less viewers per top 10 program than for the corresponding week in 2009. For example the #1 program in Newcastle for week 10, 2010 was The Mentalist with 84,000 viewers. The #5 program was NBN  Saturday News with 67,000 viewers and the #10 program was Talkin’ Bout Your Generation on SC TEN with 55,000 viewers.

IN 2009 for the week ending 3 March (corresponding week) here are the numbers: #1 Underbelly on NBN with 124,000 viewers, #5 RSPCA Animal Rescue on Prime with 86,000 viewers and #10 CSI on NBN with 75,000 viewers. Of course, Underbelly is a standout ratings winner but the #1 program last week had less viewers than the #5 program last year.

As you can see there are about 20,000 less viewers for the main Free-to-Air channels. And this is happening every week.

Now the national media are picking up on the trend. The rest of this post is taken from today’s Sydney Morning Herald.

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Media Release from Prime

PRIME is pleased to announce the launch date for its eagerly anticipated free-to-air digital channel 7TWO on PRIME, a broad entertainment channel set to bolster PRIME’s leadership in the regional television market.

7TWO on PRIME is more of what audiences love about PRIME.  More drama, more lifestyle, more reality, more comedy, more movies, more first class entertainment, free for everyone.

The new channel will launch on Wednesday 23 December at 9.00am on digital Channel 62.

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Source: Karl Quinn, Sydney Morning Herald

Television broadcasters have been roused from their slumber by a flurry of innovations. But will technology save them or signal their end?

Yesterday, Australia got its newest free-to-air television station when Kevin Rudd flicked the switch on ABC3. The just-for-kids station will broadcast 15 hours a day,and brings to 12 the number of free-to-air channels Australians with a digital television or a digital set-top box can receive – a tripling of free viewing options since 1980, and a doubling since 2005. But it’s just the beginning.

The TV broadcasting landscape is changing so quickly that predictions about what shape it will take are no longer flagged as coming soon but happening now.

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Source: Lara Sinclair, The Australian

ONLINE video viewing and social networking are set to dominate internet use over the coming year, according to two studies into new media and technology.

But whether — and how much — Australians will pay for the privilege remains a vexed question.

Four out of five Australians now watch video online, compared with just 25 per cent three years ago, according to Universal McCann’s annual Wave report that tracks internet usage.

Over the same period, creating a profile on a social networking site tripled to about 60 per cent, making it the second most popular activity, the research showed.

The data coincides with the findings of a Telsyte study into digital content that found social networking was the fastest-growing online activity, although email remained the most common reason for using the net.

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Source: MediaSpy

The Seven Network’s first attempt at a multichannel, 7TWO, has commenced broadcasting in the Tasmanian and Darwin television markets.

The channel is being carried by local broadcaster Southern Cross Television, who already operate the Seven Network affiliate in both areas. Southern Cross announced their intention to broadcast the channel from the beginning of December, soon after its metropolitan launch last month.

As of 7:30 PM local time, viewers in these areas received the first broadcasts of the new service after a localised countdown to the launch concluded.

This marks the first of the free-to-air multichannels being broadcast in the Darwin region. Tasmania, however, now enjoys the same television variety as the mainland capitals, as the area has received both Go! and One HD for some months already.

This move has only further infuriated viewers in the Regional New South Wales and Victorian markets, who are still yet to receive any notification of when their local Seven Network affiliate, Prime Television, will commence broadcasting the new channel.