I know, the first thing you are probably asking yourself is why a digital agency is writing a blog about cable television. The simplest answer is Google TV. Being the tech gadget addict that I am, I purchased the Google TV device upon its release to the world. While I was mildly impressed with the device, the first thought that came to mind was that cable television will soon be a thing of the past.
Pick Your Programming
If you are like me, you despise cable television providers and the costs associated with their services. Well, revenge is on the way. While Google TV is just the beginning of what is to come, it provides clear insight into how Google and other organizations are going to change the way in which we consume content on our televisions and at the same time eliminate the need for your cable or satellite provider. Wouldn’t it be nice to determine the TV networks made available to you instead of trying to pick some pre-canned package offered by your cable or satellite provider? Why not eliminate unwanted networks that simply give you little to no entertainment value? The time is near where you will be able to select from thousands of networks. Some will cost money, some will be free and continue to serve advertisements, but all will be available with a simple internet connection, not that silly black cable poking out of the wall. It is just a matter of time for Google or another organization to develop software that will allow you to group these TV networks into your own personalized TV package, making it accessible (pad devices, smartphones, computers), social, and easy to manage (control my TV programming from my iGoogle page).
TV and Content on Demand
Imagine being able to watch a TV show and read related content from the web at the same time. I love history, but often times the history programming that I watch doesn’t quench my thirst for the subject. Why can't a show cater to multiple audience members − those interested in a general overview of the subject matter and those who want to know more? The melding of the internet with TV makes this possible. Instead of showing me a historic photo on a TV show, let me click on it and see more, learn about its origins, or browse related content.
Why can't I watch football and see how my fantasy team is performing (or underperforming) on my fantasy football website? Let me pick the stats I see on the bottom or top of my screen. Let me personalize the frequency of scores and updates from around the world of sports. In fact, let me determine where this content appears on my TV screen. Websites like ESPN.com, CBSSportsline.com, and SI.com can develop applications that overlay your TV screen to make this type of interactive, personalized experience a reality.
What's in it for Google?
In one word − ADVERTISING! By now most of you know that Google is nothing more than the greatest advertising company in the history of the world. Is this what inspired Sergey and Larry (Google's Founders) to write such a great search algorithm not so long ago in their garage in Menlo Park, California? Probably not, but that is exactly who they are, and there is nothing wrong with that. Google creates these wonderful products and pretty much gives them away. All they ask for in return from you, as the consumer, is to view an advertisement, served contextually within the content you are consuming. Pretty small price to pay, if you ask me. I know others would disagree.
Imagine if Google cracks the TV medium. Imagine bringing search and sponsored ads and new wonderful services to your TV. Google can, and they already are. More viewers on a Google-powered service equal more opportunity to sell advertising space to your company. Not only that, but they know exactly who your viewers are, what they are watching (now and in the past), where they are, and most importantly how to serve an advertisement that takes all of these factors into account, making the advertising dollar that much more effective. Oh and one point not to be overlooked, Google can provide extraordinary reports and metrics back to the advertiser, making the Nielsen Ratings look like the Apple IIE. This is all scary and wonderful at the same time.
More Possibilities
I have already noted just a few of the possibilities and realities of what a Google TV type device brings to the consumer, but what I haven't mentioned is how it can benefit just about any company in the world looking to get noticed in order to sell their goods or services. The thought of advertising on TV is a daunting task to most companies. Not for long. Soon, you will just go to Google Adwords, establish your advertising strategy and determine the medium from which you would like to serve those ads. TV? No problem, pick the shows, pick the geographic market, pick the demographic market, pick the time or hey − let Google figure out how to best spend your advertising dollar. They are real good at it.
As someone that works at a digital agency, it’s difficult to summarize the opportunities this type of technology offers our clients. The possibilities are endless! More than anything, companies must realize the importance of their content management and content distribution strategies. Centralized content, served to multiple devices, to numerous mediums, in different formats is the new requirement.
I'm not naive enough to think cable television companies are going away and will simply become internet providers, but they will change. They have to, otherwise they will become the modern day Blockbuster, once controlling a market but not smart and/or fast enough to see what that market was going to become and how technology was going to change it.