Akkam’s Razor

What will the next development in entertainment be now that broadcast media is all but certainly dead?

Phrases like “Must See TV” and “Appointment Television” punctuated the 80s and 90s, reinforcing the notion that our evenings are to be spent cuddled on the couch, bathed in blue light and the promise that consumption of the commercial touted goods will lead to contentment. But something changed.

The “Old Media” will lament that their loss in eyeballs is due to the new emphasis on excercise and activity, or competition with other media, like the internet and video games. What they are competing against is time.

Much like the recording industry, the movie/television/radio industry will eventually be forced to accept what will be an earth shattering fact of the new world. While they formerly could program there schedules based around primetime, they are now going to have to trade of some of their control of their medium in order to reach those same eyeballs or ears.

Witness the growth of ondemand services, streaming TV/Radio, DVD-clubs, DVD-sales, the purchase of entire seasons of TV shows, and the trading of episodic TV over the various P2P systems.

Any broadcasters that fail to realize that the new medium will be your way right away will cease to exist.