TV is DEAD...

Or TV is dying...take you pick!

There is no longer any question about it! Television transmission just isn't needed anymore as everyone with an Internet site begins to realize that they could control their own "television" station.

Things were getting out of hand with tens of millions of website destinations, but a few forward thinking sites are now positioning themselves to be leaders in this new race. Think early TV: think early NBC, CBS and ABC. Only today, there are many, many more options.

By the end of 2009, almost half the people who watch videos online will be watching full-length features via the Internet. With all the other videos online, by 2012 we will spend a third of each day passively or actively viewing. Computers will send images to billboards, our high-def screens, our monitors and our phones. No more limited channels; now we have access to millions of them. Besides, no one really wanted to wait until 8:00 to see the feature film; until 10:00 to see MAD MEN and until 11:00 to see the 11:00 news! We consume when we want to consume, not when some TV exec "thinks" we should!

Everyone wanting video will turns to places like YouTube when they want movies. And many new exciting sites like www.indiemoviesonline.com are leading us into the new era of FREE online feature films and TV shows! A goldmine awaits us!

You can forget the boob tube with its limited channels since places to watch TV on the Internet are proliferating at an extemely fast pace. From NBC Universal and News Corp.'s Hulu to Joost, many sites plan to launch and make TV viewing a more interactive experience.

Joost will let users watch shows like "Friends" or "The Daily Show" directly on the Web. YouTube also is beginning to offer full-length, commercial-supported television shows in addition to the shorter clips it's well known for.

Previously, Joost users had to download the site's free software to be able to watch its programming, but this step proved to be cumbersome. The company is now scrapping its original setup in favor of Flash video, which has long been used by Hulu, YouTube and many other sites.

Joost Chief Executive Mike Volpi said the site's social features have also been greatly enhanced. People can see what their friends are watching on Joost and create groups around TV shows, characters or artists. Users will also be able to post a news feed of their and their friends' activities on Joost to other Web sites, such as social networks like Facebook.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE - http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/10/13/online.tv.joost.ap/index.html

© 2008 Stanley Lozowski, All Rights Reserved.
© 2008 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TIME FOR INDEPENDENTS?

As Hollywood is prepping for recession, cuts will come.

NBC Universal sent a clear signal last week, dropping $500 million from its 2009 budget and Paramount sharply realigned its release schedule. Many other companies will surely follow suit. As jobs are lost and paydays cut, the coming months could plunge the industry into a recession resulting in less production and less content for all outlets crying for programming.

We've all lived through recessions before, but this one is somehow more ominous. For one thing, it's global. Even tiny countries like Iceland have run out of money.

In addition, there's no one at the controls. Historians will probably award the final days of the Bush Era an "A" for Anarchy. The economy is being run by a fraternity of dorks from Goldman Sachs who have spent their careers padding their own bonuses and constructing golden parachutes rather than pondering monetary policy.

The CEOs of the major congloms in the entertainment industry are themselves insecure about their business models as the Internet and digital projection promise great change. Is this a moment to steady the course or, conversely, should some basic -- indeed cosmic -- changes be added to the agenda?

READ MORE - "Final results of recession not necessarily bad" by PETER BART - http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117994607.html?categoryid=1&cs=1
© 2008, Stanley Lozowski, All Rights Reserved. and
© 2008, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.