INTRODUCTION
As technology advances further, it becomes more difficult to anticipate what developments will surface, however it is inevitable that they will be more mobile, much faster and more accommodating to the desires of the consumer. Technology is developing in the way that is delivered to the public - through the way it is broadcasted and the way that it is consumed. "Whether it’s free-to-air, delivered by cable, Internet or mobile phones, television grows in its sophistication as a means to inform, entertain and educate."
Over the last 30 years, innovations in the technical sphere of television have been innovative in dystopian proportions. Stagnant, pre-programmed and broadcaster dictated scheduling has shifted to a platform that encompasses a huge increase in viewer choice - through choice of the medium in which they choose to interact with (analogue, digital, online), to the way that they interact with the media content that they consume (television set, on-demand, online). Audiences now have the ability to customise the content that they ingest, when they would like to ingest it and where they would like to participate in the process. Portability has greatly affected the way that consumers interact with the 'old model' of stagnant television programming. "Universal signal access will mean unlimited mobility". Audiences can now stream their media through independent Internet based websites, download torrents, interact with on-demand services provided by major networks (eg. ABC iView) and do not require a television set in order to do these things. Time shifting is not the lone development, what is also affected here is the concept of Space shifting. A focus is now being emphasized on mobility, being able to consume media in any given context, with the aid of portable devices such as mobile phones, iPads, laptops and other similar technologies have increased the accessibility of media for the consumer on the go. These mediums are increasingly becoming the preferred choice of interaction with media and entertainment, forcing broadcasters to step up their game in relation to accommodating these new desires. In our current landscape, broadcasters are utilising on-demand technologies to cater to these new market trends, giving audiences more freedom of choice in regard to when they consume entertainment and news media, in line with their erratic daily schedules and encouraging them to utilise these services at their leisure, outside of regular broadcasting schedules, meaning programs on-demand - anytime, anywhere. Next Page ➤ |