The Day We Don't Watch TV

or TDWDWT.

Have you noticed that TV has become almost obsolete? hmm...Almost obsolete? I may not be the first to say this but....TV has become useless!

I don't watch TV anymore. If you catch me watching TV, its because I would be sitting with my father or my father-in-law, just "going through the motions".

If you follow me on Twitter you will notice that yesterday I was doing a little research. I came across two articles. One focused on subject line length and the other focused on the rise of the elderly population online. Check out my profile on Twitter and find the links. In the subject line research, I found that shorter, front loaded subject lines will produce a higher click through rates for email campaigns. As I read the research article, the examples used for subject lines seemed to sound like TV commercials.

In the other article, you can see that there has been a sharp increase in the usage of Internet by the elderly population. While Gen Xers have increased usage in 4-8% of the population, we see that there has been an increase of 19% & 10% by age groups 70-74 and 75+ respectively. This shows us that more elders are using the Internet. This is significant because as years pass and as the baby boomers become the elderly population, how will this data change? I suspect that since baby boomers use the Internet for certain tasks as much as Gen X, we will see a huge increase in the Internet population.

Why?
I think this is rooted in Web 2.0. Have you seen the changes in the Internet? I certainly have! Let me give you some examples. A year ago, it was difficult to get on the computer and watch free movies online, streaming from the Internet. Now, you have more than a handful of sites to choose from with endless selections of movies. The best thing is NBC, CBS, ABC, MTV, or any other network doesn't get to chose the movie for you. YOU chose what you watch. Of course, you can buy a service that will let you watch whatever program you want at any time on your TV, but why pay? The Internet is free!!! This idea will lead to the end of the movie rental store.

Another example of how Web 2.0 will lead us away from TV and other business sectors. The NEWS! If you are a Twitter, you can see this coming. Twitters are on the cutting edge. I am astounded by the information that can be found through Twitter. When the plane went down in the Hudson, Twitter got it first. When Obama farts, Twitter smells it first. Furthermore, most Twitter users will post a link to where they find interesting information. There you can read, watch a video, or listen to a podcast on the news before the 5 o'clock broadcast. More often than not, the information that you receive on the Internet via Twitter link will be more complete and useful than the information your favorite anchorman can give you. "Keep it classy San Diego!"

Web 2.0 will soon become Web 3.0, you know, kind of like an iPhone. Web 3.0 will take 2.0 interaction to more "intelligent" levels. In Web generations we have gone from "read-only" to "read & interact", hence Web 2.0. Now that we have this capability to chose what we watch, to find information faster, and to learn via the Internet better than ever, TV will become the lost medium because everything that makes TV a successful business will be overtaken by Internet.

First, advertising. Advertising is what makes TV a business. For those who are in the marketing world, compare your expenditures on TV advertising compared to Internet advertising - then compare your ROI. Internet is much more measurable and effective for those who buy advertising spaces. For now, advertising on TV is an essential part of the marketing plan but as that baby boomer generation becomes the elderly generation and the Gen X generation become the bulk of the consumer market, how will TV advertising work? or will it?

I have already shown how movies and news is now more efficient on the Internet but what about TV shows produced by the networks. I think this will be the last standing pillar for TV. It will be the last product they can offer. However, when TV finally sees that news watchers get their information on the news website and movie watchers already saw the movie on the Internet the day after it was released in theaters, TV shows will soon follow suit. Yet, I don't think it will be suitable to simply put TV shows on Youtube.com for viewers. I think TV networks with all their money and power will soon invest ENTIRELY in the Internet. What will Web 4.0 look like?

So imagine the day we don't watch TV. It will make advertisements more competitive and direct. It will make it possible for anyone to compete with lousy shows posted by ABC on their super charged website, for example. How will this change the structure of the TV industry? Remember how Apple changed the structure of the music industry years after Napster? I am certainly looking for new, emerging changes in the TV industry because soon it won't be the TV industry. Have you checked out Exxon Mobil recently? They have certainly started changing how they go about business.