[dropcap]T[/dropcap]elevision is the most popular technology of the 20th century and is still relevant. Some of the technologies came and have gone obsolete over time. However, television is still part of everyone’s home and watched as keenly as back in the day. Television is still a popular choice for many to watch sports, entertainment, and news, despite streaming services.
As compared to the past, so much has changed over the years. In the past, antennas were installed at the rooftop to catch signals and watch one or two channels. However, over time, cable TV came into existence, and though despite its heavy bills, it is still part of almost every household.
Presently, cable TV is still considered a luxury as you need to pay higher for getting quality programming. The story is not new as the aim of cable TV was to bring people together to watch basic programming. While things were running smoothly for television, the internet evolved and streaming services came into being, which gradually took place of cable TV.
Although many cable companies like Spectrum, Suddenlink, and Optimum TV offer perks and benefits to the customers, yet the trend of streaming and cutting the cord is high.
Cable TV Statistics
- At present, the market share of cable TV is less than 50 percent globally
- 82 percent of adults in the United States believe that streaming TV is more entertaining than cable TV.
- Around 4.7 million people left the big giants like DirecTV and Comcast between 2017 and 2019.
- Approximately, there are 1775 stations and around 5200 cable systems operated by over 660, covering 90 percent of the entire population.
- 65 percent of the American population is still paying for cable TV.
- 69 percent of people are now subscribed to streaming service according to Starry
- In 2018, approximately 33 million people in the United States had canceled pay-TV subscription
- September 2019 was the only month when only 29 percent of American adults had never subscribed to a streaming service
With such a huge impact on streaming services, cable TV might not be available in the future. But before giving personal analysis and observation, let’s take a look at the future of TV.
Future of TV
In the past, the family would sit together to watch their favorite sitcom or show broadcasted once a week. People used to leave all the work behind and made sure to watch it by any means. However, with time, every member of the house got so busy that watching television was none to negligible. People especially teenagers and grownups turned their focus towards streaming services. Here’s what the future of television would be in the coming years.
Streaming and On-Demand Content will be on the Rise
In recent years, entertainment has gone far and beyond what we could have imagined. For the 80s and 90s kids, they wouldn’t have dreamt of watching movies and TV shows on the go. However, today we are seeing a whole new perspective and reality of watching television. Due to the rise in streaming and on-demand services, people don’t want to wait for the show to air. They prefer to watch shows at their own will and time whenever it suits them. There are more than 300 streaming services available in America, which aim to provide everything from movies to comedy sitcoms and thrillers to kids’ content.
People are inclined towards cord-cutting due to many reasons. Firstly there is no need for any intermediary involved such as a cable operator. Just subscribe to the desired streaming service and bang. Over the years, due to workload and social responsibilities, streaming and on-demand content has been on the rise. The flexibility it offers in terms of time and convenience cannot be found in cable TV. In addition, streaming and on-demand content are cost-effective than a cable subscription.
On the dark side, streaming services are not as bright as they seem to be. Nearly 50 percent of subscribers say that the number of subscriptions required to watch their favorite content upsets them. Generally, the consumers have to subscribe to multiple services to view the content of their choice.
Engaging Content
Television’s future is bright. It will offer the viewers to participate in the shows to make a great impact on the show. For instance, Virtual Reality will make a huge impact on how viewers watch the show. Instead of sitting idle on a comfortable couch, they can experience the show as if they are sitting in reality. Viewers can use VR glasses to get involved in the show without paying a heavy ticket price. Moreover, it would also open new horizons for marketers and companies associated with entertainment.
Netflix has already tested interactive content by producing an episode of Black Mirror. The viewer’s choice can impact the plot and dialogue. Moreover, You VS Wild is another show by Netflix in which viewers can choose their favorite adventure spot and cater to their potential endings.
Personalize Content will be Preferred over Packages
In the past and present consumers have to pay for the packages to get what they want. For instance, if someone wishes to watch sports channels instead of movie channels, he/she would have to purchase the package containing similar channels of their liking.
With the rise of streaming services, TV has become more personalized. People are inclined towards streaming services because they don’t have to pay anything extra. They pay only for what they want to watch.
In the future, television will become more personalized similar to Netflix and other streaming services. Television will show recommendations by collecting the data of consumer and their likings, preferences, and demographics.
Data collected will widely be used to create content, which may be affected by viewership. Smart content will change over time with your changing preferences.
Summing Up
Everyone is excited to see the unforeseen. As seen in the past, technological advancement has led to serious changes in how people consume and act. The future of television is still bright and expect the unexpected.
