TV anywhere you want, anytime you want
By Jon Fernquest[Introduction|Vocabulary|Article]
[Reading Questions|Answers]
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Nowadays, many of us work all the time, company work, personal projects, the line between the two is often blurred.
We continue working into the evening, if we're students studying for an exam or a doctor catching up on the latest developments in our field or a business person preparing an important presentation to a customer for tommorrow.
How can we make work feel like it's not really work?
Sometimes shifting our attention to another activity for a moment refreshes us, releaves fatigue and allows us to continue whatever, potentially very boring, thing we're doing with renewed energy.
Space shifting means changing for the format of a video or song so you can view it on another sort of device, like moving a TV show to MPEG-4 that you can view it on your iPod.
At first, the big companies that own the copyrights on the songs, movies, and TV shows being copied were against space shifting.
Nowadays marketing departments have become more positive about space shifting. They've studied it, know how it works, and even have ideas about how they can make money from it.
Today's article is an in-depth investigation into who the customers are for this new kind of "space shifting" product and the current thinking of marketing people on this controversial topic.
Reading Questions
Here are some questions to guide your reading (See answers at end):1. What kind of devices do people space-shift television shows to?
2. What common problem does space-shifting help overcome? (Hint: Matt Bricker in the article has this problem)
3. What is ABC doing in a special two month marketing experiment?
4. Besides downloading a TV program what are some other ways to watch it?
5. What kind of shows are only found online?
6. Are people switching from watching shows on their TV sets to watching them on their computers or iPod? Why or why not?
7. Is the space-shifting market large?
8. What are customers like in the space-shifting market?
9. Why is the space-shifting market an attractive market for adverstisers?
10. What recent sporting events have proven very popular with the space-shifting market recently?
11. What viewing behaviour makes advertising for young people difficult?
12. What evidence is there that young people are less likely to skip online ads?
13. How have advertisers been able to reduce the clutter of traditional advertising with online ads?
14. Is the space-shifting audience a large audience?
15. What example of a niche market is cited in the article?
16. What started the recent interest in space-shifting markets?
Article
Ready to trade remote for a mouse?
Diane Holloway
The big deal in TV is 'space shifting' shows to a device such as a home computer or even a PDA
Matt Bricker, a 25-year-old Austin musician, is hooked on Lost. And, he rather sheepishly admits, Desperate Housewives, too.
But his schedule (he plays trumpet with the Dallas-based symphonic rock group Polyphonic Spree) is sporadic, and he has a hard time getting to a TV when a show comes on each week.
Bricker doesn't have a VCR or a TiVo. He does, however, have a computer, and ABC is in the middle of a two-month test, offering four series, including mega-hits Lost and Desperate Housewives, free on ABC.com. The shows were already available for download for $1.99.
"It seems like a smart move by them,'' Bricker says. "It takes the TiVo thing and morphs it into the Internet.''
The big deal in TV today is space shifting, whisking shows away from the big TV and onto a home computer or go-anywhere laptop, iPod or PDA.
If you're not already on this online bandwagon, you should take a look at what's out there, because technology is moving at breakneck speed.
Besides the downloads offered by broadcast and cable networks, NBC is filming 10 mini-episodes of its offbeat comedy The Office, which will stream on the network's web site this summer. There's also programming you'll find only online - from classic TV to shows created for the web. And cellphone companies are touting phones that can play video and even live TV.
The buzz, especially in cyberspace, is growing. But what does all this mean? Are people really going to exchange their high-definition sets for a computer screen?
So far, neither industry experts nor network executives see online viewing as a threat to home TV viewing.
"All of this is to supplement the normal TV viewing,'' says Karen Hobson, vice president of digital media communications for the Disney/ABC Television Group. "You may want to go back and look for clues on an episode of Lost, but we don't think people will give up their TVs.''
Though broadband technology has improved to the point where small-screen images are often crystal clear, experts think the vast majority of viewers will continue to prefer big-screen TVs, especially the mega-screen high-definition models in which they've invested thousands of dollars, at least for the next decade.
"If you can watch TV on a big-screen TV at home, you will,'' says Jon Winsell, director of online media strategy at ID Society, an interactive marketing agency in New York. "If you can't, then this new technology is an alternative. It extends web convenience to the audience that isn't home - and forgot to set the DVR.''
But even though online and cell-phone viewership is minuscule compared with regular TV, members of this new niche are hip, trendy and tend to be the 18- to 34-year-olds coveted by advertisers.
Revenue figures are hard to come by and small compared with the big bucks from mainstream ads on TV. But it's definitely a growth area for broadcast and cable networks at a time when regular viewership is declining and competition for ad dollars is rising.
At the fall presentation to advertisers, held recently in New York, CBS President Leslie Moonves said "millions of dollars'' had poured in from video streams of NCAA Final Four basketball championships in March. He declined to reveal specific figures, but 5 million visitors popped in for 15 million viewings.
Online advertisers pay a fraction of the cost of an on-air commercial, which can soar to $2 million for a spot in a top-rated show such as Grey's Anatomy. But ABC's online ads for its free streaming shows are getting a good response from the targeted young folks who have rattled the industry by skipping ads altogether.
"You're not bombarded with lots of different commercials, so there's less clutter,'' Bricker said.
Advertisers are happy to be out of the clutter, too.
"We've had one corporate sponsor per show, so the user only has to watch three 30-second spots within the hour-long show,'' Hobson said. "And 86 percent of the people responding to our feedback request have been able to recall the sponsor. That's double the recall of normal viewing.''
Nielsen Media Research, which rates TV and cable networks, does not yet track online video streaming. But ABC executives say three million viewers clicked into the free online presentations in the first three weeks the service was available.
It's safe to assume that most of ABC's online viewers were watching Lost, which is the No 1 download from iTunes.
The TV offerings most likely to be watched on computer are major sports events, such as NCAA basketball and the Olympics, and serialised prime-time dramas that appeal to younger viewers.
"This is by definition a niche audience, but it does expand the networks' brands,'' Winsell says. "Shows like Lost have a high subculture following, true fans who are semi-fanatic.''
The truly devoted portable TV folks can't live without it.
"I'm one of those people who almost exclusively watches TV on my computer,'' says Chuck Hohenstein, an English teacher at Hong-Ik University in Seoul, South Korea. "I watch live sports online here. It's the only way to see college football. Without online services, many of us expats would be without a touch of home.''
Networks have had web sites with clips and video for several years. Outtakes, cast interviews, online chats and promos are used to enhance viewers' connection to TV shows.
But the TV-to-computer ball really got rolling about a year ago when the Apple iTunes Music Store added full TV episodes to its service. ABC was the first to sign on and has had five million downloads since October 2005.
The iTunes list also includes more than 100 shows from NBC, Fox, MTV, ESPN, the Sci-Fi Channel, Comedy Central, the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and Showtime.
The download episodes are big business for Apple. More than 15 million shows have been sold, at $1.99 a pop. Serious fans can also buy "season passes'' of Lost and other series for about $35, with new episodes available the day after telecast.
For people who have only a few shows they watch religiously, iTunes downloads are a convenient option. They can be watched anytime, they can be transported to a big-screen TV and there's no monthly cable bill. COX NEWS SERVICE
Vocabulary (in article)
space shifting - changing the format of music or a video so you can use it on another device like a computer or iPod (this is controversial because there is usually a copyright on music and videos)
hooked on - addicted to, attached to, can't stop doing it because you like it so much
sheepishly - looking a little embarassed because you did something silly or foolish
sporadic - when something stops and starts, stops and starts (not continuous or continual)
has a hard time - is difficult
TiVo - a new technology for recording TV programs so they can be watched at a later time (See Wikipedia on TiVo)
ABC - a major American television channel (See Wikipedia)
series - a TV series, weekly television shows
a smart move - a smart decision
morphs into - changes into
whisk away - quickly leave from a place, as if blown by the wind
on a bandwagon - following a trend or fad with many other people (who are on the bandwagon)
moving at breakneck speed - moving very quickly (so quickly you could break your neck)
offbeat - a little different and strange, not like the normal kind you usually see
classic TV - popular TV programs from the past like Star Trek, Cheers, Mash,
Bat Man, Gunsmoke, Gilligan's Island, Lost in Space, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, the talking horseMister Ed, The Twilight Zone, Hogan's Heroes, Dragnet, McHale's Navy, The Six Million Dollar Man, Flipper, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Policewoman, Leave it to Beaver, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gomer Pyle...(If you are interested in this topic see Classic TV at About.com, oldtvseries.com, Archive of American Television for interviews with people who were an important part of television's history, the interviews are available for free at Google Video)
touting - trying to sell something (and persuade people that the product is worth buying)
buzz - word of mouth advertising of a product, person or idea, "passing of information by verbal means, especially recommendations, but also general information, in an informal, person-to-person manner, rather than by mass media, advertising, organized publication, or traditional marketing," uses spoken communication, blogs, message boards, and emails," (See Wikipedia on word of mouth)
supplement - in addition to, not replacing
look for clues - looking for clues to solve a mystery or puzzle (in the TV show)
broadband - broadband internet access, high speed internet with a fast reponse time, low delay (See Wikipedia)
set the DVR - change the settings on your Digital Video Recorder to record a program while you are at work, let's say, for future viewing (See Wikipedia on Digital Video Recorders)
miniscule - very small
niche market - a small specialized market (of customers with special requirements that have to be met in the product or service)
hip - cool, very modern and fashionable
coveted - many people want it
hard to come by - difficult to find
a spot - an advertising spot, time for an advertisement during a break in the television show
bombarded - thrown at you when you don't want it, unpleasant (during a war people are bombarded by bombs)
clutter - a mess, untidiness getting in the way and preventing you from doing your work efficiently (for example many things are spread all over your desk instead of putting them in their proper place)
corporate sponsor - the company paying for the advertisement
responding to our feedback request - answering the questions in their survey
[Check back shortly for more]
Answer Key:
1. What kind of devices do people space-shift television shows to?
To devices such as their home computers, PDAs, or iPods.
2. What common problem does space-shifting help overcome? (Hint: Matt Bricker in the article has this problem)
Space-shifting helps people who have schedules that conflict with their favorite TV shows to record the shows and watch them at other times.
3. What is ABC doing in a special two month marketing experiment?
ABC is allowing people to download episodes of popular TV shows to their computers. This will allow them to view the programs at their convenience when they have spare time.
4. Besides downloading a TV program what are some other ways to watch it?
You can stream the TV program from the TV network's web site or watch video or live TV on your mobile phone.
5. What kind of shows are only found online?
Classic TV shows are only found online as well as shows that are created especially for the web.
6. Are people switching from watching shows on their TV sets to watching them on their computers or iPod? Why or why not?
No, this is a supplement to normal TV viewing. Watching on a large screen high definition television is still more enjoyable.
Sometimes viewing shows on an iPod or computer is more convenient though, like when you are commuting by subway, train, or bus.
7. Is the space-shifting market large?
No, it is miniscule if compared to regular TV.
8. What are customers like in the space-shifting market?
They tend to be between 18 and 34 years old and are hip and trendy.
9. Why is the space-shifting market an attractive market for adverstisers?
Yes, the 18 to 24 year old market segment of customers that dominates this market is highly valued by advertisers.
The space-shifting market is a growing when most markets (e.g. regular viewership) are declining and competition for advertising money is increasing.
10. What recent sporting events have proven very popular with the space-shifting market recently?
The NCAA Final Four basketball championships in March.
11. What viewing behaviour makes advertising for young people difficult?
Young people typically skip ads.
12. What evidence is there that young people are less likely to skip online ads?
"ABC's online ads for its free streaming shows are getting a good response from the targeted young folks."
13. How have advertisers been able to reduce the clutter of traditional advertising with online ads?
Advertisers have used one corporate sponsor per show so viewers are more likely to recall who the sponsor was.
There is also less advertising with three 30-second spots per hour.
14. Is the space-shifting audience a large audience?
No, it is a niche audience but this doesn't mean it is important. If you add up all the niche audiences they may add up to a large audience according to the long tail school of thought in marketing.
15. What example of a niche market is cited in the article?
English teachers working in foreign countries like South Korea.
16. What started the recent interest in space-shifting markets?
The interest started about a year ago when TV shows became available for download for the iPod.