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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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 DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL 
19

TV Viewers Migrate to Web

Americans are more and more likely to have watched shows online

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(Newser) – More and more Americans are watching television exclusively online and ditching their cable or satellite service. One-quarter of families have tuned in online, and 25% of those viewers have watched a full-length show on a computer—a 67% jump just since 2007. “The idea that you come home and your entertainment choices are dictated on what some entertainment channel decides is not for me,” a tech-savvy early adapter tells the Los Angeles Times.

The obvious analogy is the iPod, says an industry expert. Consumers who no longer buy a whole album just to get one single embrace the option of having hundreds of shows literally at their fingertips. "When Apple added iTunes as a music procurement and discovery service, then it really took off," says an analyst with a trade group. "Finally, this kind of sensibility is coming to the king category of consumer electronics—television."

A screen shot of Hulu.
A screen shot of Hulu.   (AP Photo)
A shopper checks out computers and televisions.
A shopper checks out computers and televisions.   (AP Photo)
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When Apple added iTunes as a music procurement and discovery service, [the iPod] really took off. Finally, this kind of sensibility is coming to the king category of consumer electronics—television. - Steve Koenig, analyst

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19 comments
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Cprizzle
Oct 26, 09 1:27 PM CDT
This seems reasonable. However, with advertising agencies increasing interest and investment on the web, commercials have begun to take over. Which I think could turn people away just as what is happening with television. Youtube is a good example. It was much more convenient and useful when you didn't have to sit through 30 seconds of commercials to watch a kid do a face-plant on his bike. Additionally, Hulu is facing the same issue. Reply
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2-bits
Oct 26, 09 1:28 PM CDT
The ads on Hulu are completely reasonable I think. The commercial breaks are far, far shorter than on TV, so what's the problem?
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Cprizzle
Oct 26, 09 1:34 PM CDT
Oh I agree I agree. Don't get me wrong. If I were an add agency I would realize that consumers are strongly attracted to the web, and it seems perfectly reasonable to me. Personally, I don't take offense to it, as I understand it is a business move. Nevertheless, I think average people don't comprehend the importance of advertising, and get too frustrated to deal with it. I'm not one of those people, just like you.
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Cprizzle
Oct 26, 09 1:35 PM CDT
^ *ad agency. Sorry.
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binarypower
Oct 28, 09 11:55 AM CDT
I think people are going to flock to the web no matter what but if they get turned away from hulu and youtube for advertising they are just gonna go to a different website rather than back to tv. I am one of these people. I dont have my coaxial hooked up to my tv, just my PC via HDMI. I don't miss a single show with Hulu and the pirate bay You can see the shift when even Comcast has an online hulu like service: "The Fan"
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