Streaming the death of fixed programming
The beauty of the internet is choice, watching a bulletin from local TV stations and you’ll notice that every programme is padded over with endless advertisements which you must watch to the very end. On Youtube, you just click the ad away.
The versatility of streaming media is giving traditional television a run for its money offering wider bouquet of choices in programming and flexibility that allows one to switch across chanells on just one device.
The delivery of audio and video content over the internet has allowed users to consume media on-demand without the need for traditional broadcast or physical media.
Some of the factors that have steered the rise of the stream media include; increased internet penetration, with the widespread of internet connectivity and procreation of mobile phones. This has dilated the potential audience for streaming media.
Secondly, convenience and flexibility has had users stream at their preferred places, time and devices of their choice. The convenience has had the user’s ability to pause, rewind live Tv, record radio shows and ability to pick up from where left.
Streaming also uniquely offers a vast library of content, ie movies, TV shows, documentaries, original programming and live events therefore attracting a wide range of viewers.
Also, streaming services have cost-effectiveness, they repeatedly offer subscription plans at various price points, making them more affordable as compared to traditional cable or tv satellite packages. This enhances users to only pay for the packages they want to consume and of what is relevant to them.
Emergence of numerous streaming and live entertainment platforms have also highly created a competitive market, where providers strive to offer compelling content, user-friendly interfaces and attractive pricing to attract and retain subscribers.
Finally the streaming media has had accessibility and global reach. Streaming media has cut across geographical boundaries, enabling content creators and platforms to reach a global audience. This accessibility has opened up numerous opportunities for international content distribution and has had users access media from different regions and cultures.
Despite the upsides of streaming media, it has had demerits. Streaming media has disrupted the traditional media vista and led to changes in consumer behavior. Streaming has also created feedback loops limiting the choice they promise to give and have been used to track users so as to sell targeted ads that exploit our vulnerabilities.
