TV – It’s Now Officially Over

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Big Brother UK – any time, any place

Television as we knew it is now officially over.

It’s only a matter of time.

Channel 4, the UK commercial network has just signed a deal with Youtube to put up its entire schedule, all the time.

This is not some home video, home produced product (not that we don’t love those). This is an honest to God network. The kind that used to invest in transmission towers and cut deals with cable and satellite companies.

These are the people who produce and air, among other things:  Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, Big Brother, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Daily Show, The Simpsons (I am here listing only things Americans will understand, for my more UK oriented readers:  The Force, Hollyoaks, Peepshow, and The Secret Millionaire, among others).  

You get the idea.

This is like ABC saying, henceforth all of our shows, all of them, will be available on Youtube.

Anytime you want to watch them.

Anywhere.  

Well, it does make sense. I mean, the technology is there. And, as we pointed out yesterday, regular people are doing this all the time, so why shouldn’t the network get there first.

That Channel 4 didn’t make them available on say, www.channel4shows.co.uk is a clear indication that Youtube and Google (who paid 1.4 billion for Youtube) are not so dumb.  What NBC was once to the world, Youtube is about to become – the killer network.  Except without the network – and without the building, wires.. or employees for that matter.

So welcome to the new world.

This, of course, raises the next logic question in this cycle of fratricide:  If Channel 4 can post all the shows on Youtube (which they are doing), and Channel 4 buys all its shows from independent production companies, (which it does), then why exactly, does anyone need Channel 4 any longer?

hmmm?

And, while you’re at it, dump your stock in CBS  as fast as you can.

 

 

*and a tip o’ the hat to reader Edith Champagne, who sent in this heads up

Michael Rosenblum

For more than 35 years, Michael Rosenblum has been on the cutting edge of the digital video journalism revolution. During this time, he has lead a drive for video literacy, and the complete rethinking of how television is made and controlled. His work has included: The complete transitioning of The BBC's national network (UK) to a VJ-driven model, starting in 2002. The complete conversion of The Voice of America, the United State's Government's broadcasting agency, (and the largest broadcaster in the world), from short wave radio to television broadcasting and webcasting using the VJ paradigm (1998-present). The construction of NYT Television, a New York Times Company, and the largest producer of non-fiction television in the US. Rosenblum was both the founder and President of NYT TV, (all based on this paradigm (1996-1998). The President and Founder of Video News International, a global VJ-driven newsgathering company, with more than 100 journalists around the world. (1993-1996). Other clients include Spectrum News, Verizon and CBS News.

3 Comments
  • Austin Beeman October 18, 2009

    CBS and Channel 4 can survive on Youtube if they can ALWAYS be the source of quality content. They can play the role of aggregator and filter if they like. They’ll survive because of their good taste… if they have any.

  • steve October 17, 2009

    funny you should mention “transmission towers” as i just drove by our area’s “patch” of them this morning; hundreds of tons of iron stretching high into the air with what appears to be miles of cabling leading off in all directions to keep them standing.

    for what?

    they cover a radius of ~60 miles with all that hardware?

    sheesh!

    i’m banging this out on a 10+ year old compaq laptop with its original battery and michael’s readers across the pond can have a look at it if they care to within seconds of me hitting the “submit comment” button below.

    while i’m with you on the premise that it’s “officially” over, i would say it’s been over in theory since before this compaq was last seen as a cutting edge piece of equip.

  • Cliff Etzel October 16, 2009

    How is it the Brit’s see the writing on the wall way before we here in the states do?

    And yes – I agree with your last sentence. 🙂