The current state of television programming is at an interesting crossroad. Before we can look at where we are, let's take a moment to remember where we came from. I am only looking at television in the U.S. and not the history of TV for the entire world. In 1950 in the U.S., there were 3,880,000 households with a TV, or 9% of American homes. By 1951, just one year, that number triples to 10,320,000 or 23.5%. In 1960, it grows to 45,750,000 or 87.1%, and by the late 1970s (1978 to be exact), that number hits 98% or 72,900,000 homes. (These numbers are from the website Television History: The First 75 Years ) We all know about the big three networks (CBS, NBC, ABC), and those of us of a certain age remember when we were lucky to have a TV that could get all three networks, as well as the fledgling PBS. In the 1970s, cable and satellite TV created a programming boom, and channel numbers exploded to one day include such specific programming as the Sci-Fi Channel and the Golf Channel. In August of 2013, Sci-Fi, now the SyFy channel, could be watched in 97,447,000 American households (85.33% of households with television). As of 2012, HBO, a "premium" cable service with additional cost to subscribe, reached approximately 28 million pay television subscribers in the United States.
So enough with the numbers. Television is an institution that is in almost ever home in America. The rapidly changing technology has seen the change from "over-the-air" network reception, to cable and satellite, to digital, to the Internet. We now have a mix of programming systems, from advertising supported (the networks and cable channels), to subscriber based channels. I know you are thinking "but you have left something out of the mix", and that is the new model of distribution that doesn't need broadcast or cable, just an Internet connection and a device to connect. And what service is now pushing this change in Television? Netflix of course, with Amazon and others adding to the mix. The Wall Street Journal reported in January of 2012 that Netflix had 24.4 million US subscribers. In October of 2013 that number was up to approximately 30 million, beating HBO's estimated 28.7 million ( see: Engadget article ). Netflix gives subscribers access to a full season of shows at the same time, rather then the once-a-week model of network TV. The old "water-cooler" moment when people would discuss a show, and ponder what would happen next week is changing to "binge viewing" where viewers watch most or all of the episodes in one sitting. My experience with shows like House of Cards or Orange is the New Black is that people tend to discuss the series, but not individual episodes like they did in the weekly broadcast format. Viewing is also increasingly not dependent on a broadcast schedule. House of Cards can be watched any time, day or night, at the viewers schedule. Technology has been moving us in this direction since we could "time shift" shows by taping them on our VCR to watch later. Now that VHS is dead, DVR's or "on-demand"are the new playback methods. Technology marches ahead.
These changes bring us to that question "is TV still TV?". Is the network broadcast model dead or dying? Many Internet writers say it is, but I remember when high definition was just about to happen, and that was in the mid 1980s. It took at least another 15 years for it to actually reach consumers. While the network model may be dying, I think the funeral services are a tad premature. Change in this industry is not quick, the ship steers slowly, and sometimes it can't avoid the oncoming iceberg. As long as network shows continue to make money from advertising, they will not disappear. Viewing numbers for the big three are down and falling, but the revenues generated are not. For now, all the TV models are coexisting, but change is on the horizon. As Chance the Gardener says in Being There, "As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden." But watch those roots closely!
For further reading, check out ITS NOT TV, ITS NETFLIX by William Proctor.
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