Television and Video Streaming

How do older forms of media inform new media markets?

The world of technology has grown exponentially over the past few decades. From radios to telephones and television, there has been a progression of media related forces taking over the airwaves. Each of these media based technologies has developed through incorporating older strategies and combining them with new ways to capture their audience. Television was a revolution that quickly became a household appliance in the mid 1900s. Many of the traditional strategies used in the development of television have been incorporated in the widely known revolution of online video streaming.

During my research I took a closer look at video streaming and the effects it has had on traditional forms of Television. Video streaming is the usage of transmissions from over the Internet partnering with digital receives and digital cable connections. One of the largest video streaming websites is Hulu. Hulu is a joint venture company invested in by various broadcasting companies. Hulu allows for the viewer to have access to a wide variety of content from various outlets in no time at all. With the use of advertisements and niche channels, Hulu has acquired over 17 million users.

The advertisements used on Hulu can be linked back to the commercial sponsorships used by traditional television networks. Hulu has perfected the use of ads by focusing the advertisements to a select and specific audience. Along with their ads, Hulu has begun to create content that is specified for specific tastes and people groups. Early television networks used multiple channels to create more attractive content for specific audiences.

With the creation of online video streaming companies such as Hulu and Netflix, we have seen a steady decrease of traditional television use. According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, 6 out of 10 young adults in the U.S. primarily use online streaming to watch TV. This statistic forecasts a continued decreased in traditional television use in the upcoming years. As our society evolves, who knows if television will continue to be the household appliance it once was.

Sources: 

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Kaul, V. (2012, February 05). Changing Paradigms of Media Landscape in the Digital Age. Retrieved April 04, 2018

Logan, K. (2011). Hulu.com or NBC? Streaming Video versus Traditional TV: A Study of an Industry in Its Infancy. Journal Of Advertising Research, 51(1), 276-287.

Puccinelli, N. M., Wilcox, K., & Grewal, D. (2015). Consumers' response to commercials: When the energy level in the commercial conflicts with the media context. Journal Of Marketing, 79(2), 1-18. doi:10.1509/jm.13.0026

Schweidel, D. A., & Moe, W. W. (2016). Binge Watching and Advertising. Journal Of Marketing, 80(5), 1. doi:10.1509/jm.15.0258