Comments on: Internet television is neither: The Death of TV, Part 3

By: Nathan Bowers

Nathan Bowers — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:49:26 +0000

Good point Clarissa. There are plenty of ads that I enjoy watching. I’m a sucker for any Apple or Honda ad because I buy into what they’re all about. I loved the Gears of War ad because of the “Mad World” cover from Donnie Darko.

However, though those ads “reached” me, I couldn’t take action on those ads at the moment of contact.

And what about other 99% of people who don’t already buy into those products? Preaching to the choir doesn’t do advertisers much good.

TV advertising is just too broken.

By: Clarissa Concio

Clarissa Concio — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:17:44 +0000

Maybe there’s yet a another solution to the problem. I do believe that if advertising companies produce interesting, engaging video ads that catch viewers’ attentions hook line and sinker, then they wouldn’t worry about people (even those with really short attention spans) skipping their ads. I’ve resisted clicking on my mouse or switching to another channel when a humorous or interesting ad comes along…Just a thought.

By: Nathan Bowers

Nathan Bowers — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:23:24 +0000

Thanks Jonah. Hadn’t used Hulu before. It would have saved me all that writing: “Dear TV site designers, go to Hulu.com and take notes.”

Hulu has everything that’s missing from the major network sites and does it all with a much cleaner design.

What’s obvious here is that the very idea of a TV “network” is dead. Channels are an artifact of spectrum scarcity. As “Google = the internet” for most people, so shall some site one day “equal video entertainment”.

By: KeaponLaffin

KeaponLaffin — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:17:59 +0000

Couldn’t agree more. Hulu isn’t that bad but their ads also suck. And the ‘contracts’ seem short. Many episodes and movies are only available for a limited time. Hook it up with more HD space or something. There are plenty of people who would never bother to buy the 1st Season DVD of Lost based on a single episode they enjoyed, but if it’s available free online(legally)..the studio still gets Ad revenue and that person may later decide to purchase the DVDs to catch up.
What annoys me the most with, I think it’s Fox, is that they ask you to install their own software to even watch it.
I definitely like:
3) Only show me commercials for movies and shows somehow related to the one I’m watching.
And that can even save them money on ‘Market Research’. Just like Amazon or IMDB or..everywhere else that has a list of ‘People who liked this also like…’

I just think it’s because the big bosses in TV ARE still living in the 70’s. I figured it’d be great for Ad revenue ratings. Instead of ‘We THINK because of Nealson Ratings X people watched this on TV’ they can just say ‘We KNOW every episode gets watched X number of times online.’
They also don’t seem to understand. TV will die soon. I no longer own one. I watch all my TV shows and movies online. I don’t mind watching a bit after the OnAir date, as long as it’s not on a painfully overFlashed/overJavaed interface.

By: Jonah

Jonah — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:33:14 +0000

NBC/Fox does a lot more with their content on hulu. If you really want to watch shows online that is the site to do it.

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:44:03 +0000

Great post. All of the networks have the same issue. ABC was the first to embrace putting their content online. I’m hoping they will pick up on the needs outlined above soon.