I’ve previously blogged about how you can watch PayPerView TV via streaming sites without having to download any software, or fiddling about with P2P software and accidentally making your bank account details available.
But my time watching broadcast TV has shrunk to nothing. It seems I’m discovering new shows every week which are actually relevant and interesting for me, rather than being the ‘least worst’ of what the channels are broadcasting. Plus the Freeview reception where I live is worse than waiting for an online video to buffer!
Suddenly I’m discovering more and more ‘quality’ content on Youtube. (And I share any good Tech stuff, here)
And it makes my life much, much easier. Take the example of BBC tech show Click, which is mainly shown at 04.30 on a Sunday. Since I now have a baby son, I’ve actually caught the show at 06.45 on a Saturday – but it’s a short version. Presumably because of the 7am rush to see generic news. Online, I can watch the full version any time I bally well like.
Between Youtube, BBC’s iPLayer, and the likes of Qik, is there much of a point to broadcast television? And if you’re about to blame the BBC for being the most popular old media convert to aid the decline – my guess is they’re the best placed to survive successfully for a variety of reasons (including the TV licence fee in the UK), but mainly because they’ve done the best job of making their content available.
And that’s before we look at the likes of Joost, Hulu, Vimeo, etc. Let alone Seesmic and 12seconds.tv. Or Ustream. Or justin.tv.
It’s why I’m glad my broadband account with Zen Broadband actually has a sensible data limit even if it’s the same speed and slightly more expensive than rivals (the customer service is also ace – can I get a discount now?). And one cable to connect my laptop to my HD TV means broadcast TV really is in trouble. A percentage of geeks already spend their entire entertainment time in front of a laptop for text, music and video. Make that work on a 32″ widescreen TV and suddenly it’s a lot more mainstream.