The Next Phase in TV delivery

[Jrecee]

Have you ever talked to anyone who is actually happy with their tv service? It seems like everyone hates the way cable/satellite is delivered, yet nobody really has any power to do anything about it. The current providers have a monopoly over the industry and therefore don't have to make you happy.

The amount of garbage channels that are delivered with the usual tv service is incredible. I don't know exactly how it's all handled behind the scenes, but it seems to me that it would cost just as much to beam a hunting/religious/home shopping channel to my tv as it would to send CNBC/AMC/TBS, so how do these crap channels actually make it onto an outer space satellite when there's so little demand for them?

I think everyone would love an ala carte tv service, but the current providers don't feel like delivering it. But now we have the internet. Stations have their own websites where you can watch their shows online. Hulu collects shows from network tv and puts them on the web. And TV/Internet connectivity is becoming more widespread because of videogame systems and bluray players, and even tvs with internet built right in.

So here's where I think (hope) tv goes in the next few years:

1. We'll see networks selling episodes of their tv shows off their website.
2. We'll see a tv network come up with a subscription plan, that allows you to watch their full broadcasts 24/7 by paying a subscription fee. . .
3. We'll see other sites begin to do this. . . of course if you want 10 different channels, that's 10 different bills you're keeping up with, so:
4. Someone will come in with a completely internet based tv service. You'll be able to order the online broadcasts of all these networks from one site that serves as a hub, so you simply have to select which channels you want to subscribe to, pay the fee to this one site, and they'll sign you up for whatever channels you picked.

[Hobie-wan]

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial ... surowiecki

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I don't watch traditional TV anymore, it's all off teh interwebz

[CRTGAMER]

My daughter and Niece spend a lot of their video viewing time watching youtube clips. I guess it beats watching crappy comedian on a "Funniest Video" show on TV. HD available for cable, yet a tiny jumpy video clip more entertaining, too sad. I stick with DVD movies.

[Inazuma]

TV? I get all of mine from bit torrent.

[t0yrobo]

I almost never watch normal tv. I do however watch a shit ton of netflix instant watch stuff. If cable was entirely replaced with a netflix/hulu type service I might even be interested in paying something in the range of the ridiculous prices they charge now.