Pop Culture Curmudgeon

The Future of Television

As the year draws to a close, I start to think about what has worked and what hasn’t in my pop culture life.

I have enjoyed the new seasons of Chuck, Gossip Girl, Friday Night Lights (seriously, watch this show when it airs on NBC beginning next month), and Supernatural. I have enjoyed the new blog format for TV Gal–three days instead of one, plus the ability to comment and discuss with her readers!

I have not enjoyed the glut of prime time programming on Mondays and Thursdays to the exclusion of all other days. Really, all shows need to air on those two days so I have to choose what not to watch? And so I have nothing to watch the rest of the week? I also have not enjoyed the ratings deaths of many of my favorite shows (e.g., Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money).

I have a solution to both of these problems: on demand programming, aka the death of the tv station as we know it. The studios offer our programs on demand for our viewing pleasure. They include ads that can’t be fast forwarded through, just like watching shows live now. We don’t have to worry that all of our shows are scheduled at the same time. Ratings can be easily measured–how many times are the shows accessed? And content can continue to be free because advertisers will get our eyes.

How does this differ from the current on demand programming offered by the cable companies and Directv?

It includes all prime time shows and possibly all programming.
Commercials are included, and they cannot be fast forwarded through.
All TV owners have access to the system, not just subscribers to digital cable or Directv subscribers with an HD DVR and an Ethernet network.

This seems so simple. What are the downsides I haven’t thought about? How will local media deliver news programming and advertising? Will anyone watch any educational programming when given on demand options? How will we deliver the programs? Will such a shift also mark the death of cable and satellite companies?