As movies, TV shows, the news, and homemade videos continue to stream free and often commercial-free online, the idea that television is on the way out has occurred to more than a few marketers.
This attitude is reinforced by the recent innovations in social media, which have often been far more effective in conversion dollar for dollar than TV ads.
Yes, there is hope for TV
However, theres still hope for television, and theres reason to believe itll hold out for quite awhile longer. For one thing, theres the community factor. There are certain TV shows that people watch as events, such as sporting events or American Idol.
People enjoy being a part of the group, and they dont want to miss it and watch later. They want to see it now, along with all the other fans.
The problem television is facing is the ability to adapt to the needs of people who do want to watch later. Instead of having those people look up those videos on DVD, some companies are looking to options online for capturing those audiences and keeping TV relevant, like the streaming-video site Hulu, which features full-length shows, movies and most significantly for television producers ads.
Television will stick around as long as we feel the need for community, which is probably forever. The question is how it will shape and change around the other new innovations that crop up.