TIME SHIFTING
Typical of most media trends, the practice of time shifting was first popularised internationally, before being adopted in Australia. Time shifting consists of users exercising the choice to delay the viewing of a program to a later time.
In some instances this may mean that the content is recorded onto a hard disk drive or similar device, or alternatively, the content is accessed from an online server which is operated by the content distributor. In the latter case, the content is typically also ‘place shifted’ and viewed on a computer or tablet instead of a television as once was de rigueur. These web applications offer an on-demand service for content that has recently been available via broadcast, and as such, exist primarily as an opportunity for viewers to ‘catch-up’ on missed episodes before returning to regular broadcasting (Winter, 2012). However, the most innovative feature of time shifting is that it offers viewers the flexibility to create their own schedule; a liberty which broadcasters have long held from audiences, lest it cost them advertising revenue. Herein lies the current dilemma for time shifting in Australia – the current paradigm is not commercially feasible, and the major networks have spent much of their time in the shadow of the government funded ABC model, iView. |
There is certainly less at stake for public broadcasters to provide secondary avenues of viewing that could potentially detract from their flagship channel. But as broadcasting continues to converge into the digital realm, commercial stations will need to consider the inevitability of audiences expecting such a service in the future, and these businesses will need to have the adequate means for delivering advertising in an online environment (Smith, 2011).
Current attempts to divide episodic content into segments of 8-10 minutes, with each block prefaced by an ad, are proving to be detrimental to the viewing quality of the program. Whilst this model is most representative of the standard viewing format in which ads are interspersed throughout commercial broadcasting, the time-shifted segments take time to load and buffer, and most viewing portals will not allow the segments to load simultaneously. What this creates is an uncomfortable waiting period where no streaming is occurring, and thus, the delay is not being substantiated by advertising revenue (Huang, et al, 2007). |
Obviously this is not an ideal model of delivery, as it goes against the fundamental rule that catching-up should be as quick and enjoyable as a regular broadcast. Furthermore, the ads are no longer sandwiched between cliffhanger moments and run-in through with the action appearing on-screen. They are placed, instead, in isolation as a large chunk at the beginning of the video, when most viewers would find it convenient to busy themselves with something else while the content finishes loading.
Another such method is the incorporation of ‘banner’ or pop-up advertising which intermittently invades the lower third of the frame. However, any encroachment of third-party graphics or sponsorship onto the video itself can act to corrupt the content producer’s original vision and momentarily dis-engage viewers. (Yoon, 2008) |