So, it’s a Sunday night and the computer lab is packed with kids mesmerized by their computer screens, their eyes glazed over from staring at the same document for hours. One would expect that “America’s future” would be plugging away diligently at their term paper, but it’s not the case. As I pass by the line of computers, YouTube, Hulu and other sites that stream online videos are ubiquitous while homework remains minimized.
So why is it that so many students choose to procrastinate by watching videos online? And why the library of all places? After thinking about it for awhile, it came to me: Watching TV on a computer in the library, in an “attempt” to do work allows one to guiltlessly catch up on the TV shows or other videos you have missed all week. Actually getting yourself out of your dorm room and into the library has to count for something, right?
The popularity of watching TV online is growing as students, as well as employees are forced to sit in front of computer screens for hours at a time. People actually spend 50% of their waking hours in front of the computer, and only 10-20% in front of the TV. Therefore, many online video streaming websites have brilliantly combined computer use and TV watching into one dynamic concept: online video streaming that offers the same quality TV content on demand.
Websites such as Hulu and Joost offer on-demand, high quality videos, full episodes of TV shows, and even full length movies all for FREE. How do they do it? Advertising of course. Throughout each segment you watch, the viewer must sit thorough several short commercials that last about 30 seconds. Not a bad deal since traditional TV commercial pods last several minutes. Hulu even has a sidebar on the video screen that allows the viewer to rate the ad by giving it a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down.” Joost also serves additional interactive advertisements via overlays and short pop-ups that are clickable.
Given the nature of this blog, I guess the better question is this: How can these cable TV companies capitalize upon the growing popularity of online TV broadcasting instead of being replaced by it?
A lot of cable TV networks have taken advantage of the popularity of online TV. Hulu is NBC Universal and New Corporation’s online video joint venture, and it features a multitude of other cable programs. Joost is said to be in negotiations with Fox, CBS, and Viacom.
An upcoming online TV streaming service called TidalTV is currently still in beta testing, but could prove to be a force to be reckoned with in the online TV world. It is very similar to Hulu and Joost but it replicates the feeling of TV, especially with its TV broadcasting guide that appears on the home screen. TidalTV, like regular TV, broadcasts different segments at certain times but also allows the viewer to watch TV on demand. Already receiving approximately 555,000 unique monthly visitors, TidalTV allows cable TV networks to broadcast episodes that are featured on cable, as well as individualized segments. One of the features I find interesting about TidalTV is that it offers a variety of instructional channels that cater to one’s specific interests, such as food, travel, fitness and fashion. These interest-specific channels seem to be lost in sites such as Joost and Hulu.
Cable TV companies could use these interest-specific channels to brand themselves in a unique fashion. By uploading different segments on their TidalTV channel, cable companies can target people with specific interests in an effort to create a more dynamic audience.
Well, I just realized I missed the newest episode of The Daily Show last night. I guess it’s time to get to work.
Katie Milot
Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania
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1 comment:
I had no idea students were watching in the library! Fascinating!
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