Is This the End of Television?

Last week both cable giant HBO and broadcast giant CBS made announcements that signal the end of television as we know it.  Both responded to the clear message of the market and said that they would make their content available in the form and via the delivery system consumers prefer — the internet.  For the first time, viewers will be able to watch HBO movies and series via their HBO Go platform with a separate subscription, even if they do not get HBO via cable.  And CBS will start showing its programs online in real time, as they are broadcast on television.  It is certain that the other networks, premium and basic cable, will follow suit.

We will look back on the 1950’s-2000’s as the last time people watched the same program via the same medium at the same time. Once television sets had only four or five channels.  Then, with cable, there were more than one hundred.  Online-only content from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and YouTube and webseries on “stations” created by individuals and small groups will be at the same level as big-budget series like “Scandal” and “Game of Thrones.”  This is great news for creators and consumers, but the big businesses behind the large-scale productions will need to be nimble to maintain revenues.