February 18, 2017
In this fast paced life, no one schedules the time to sit down and watch their favorite movies and television shows. Gone are the days when everyone in the family snuggled up on the couch together in front of the television set. Modern TV has evolved past the lonely cable box – we now watch video on smartphones, tablets, streaming media players, and game consoles. These devices are giving an audience new choices in how to watch television.
Consumers are adapting to this new technological era. They can now individually watch the content they want on their schedule. Everyone has their screen in their back pocket. As a result, traditional broadcast networks and cable companies are facing increased customer turnover now more than ever.
The biggest rivals to traditional networks are on-demand streaming media services like Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon. They are responsible for sparking the cord cutting revolution, where TV subscribers cancel their cable subscriptions to watch their favorite shows through internet connected television devices like Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV. The streaming companies provide access to high-quality movies and shows, sometimes for free. Many consumers find this cheaper and more flexible than a cable TV subscription.
The conflict caused by a fixed programming schedule is another reason consumers are ditching traditional cable TV. The “Prime Time” show watching traditions are long gone. Many consumers will instead opt to catch an episode or binge watch a series through broadband and on-demand video services.
The challenges faced by today’s content providers are complex. Traditional broadcast media’s structured channels and fixed delivery are slowly giving way to the new on-demand world. Viewership can be unpredictable and sporadic, but at the same time spontaneous and satisfying.