Future of Television.. Part I

Technology, user expectations and regulatory compliance have brought some noteworthy features over a period of time. Features like introduction of digital tuners, DVR technology, Video on Demand, Pay per view, parental controls have gained maturity, others like TV Everywhere, DLNA compliance, network DVR, remote management seem more on the horizon. Still others like interactive applications and cable card which vowed to revolutionize could not achieve promised heights. While it is overwhelming to see the vision companies are charting out for future of television technology with projection and touch technology turning any surface into Television screen, transparent and fold able screens, Ultra HD or 8k content format, holographic TV, voice and gesture activated controls, augmented reality glasses etc., most of these visions are still a long way before becoming technically production ready as well as economically viable for mainstream consumers..Today Connected TV is most often described as the generation next for television with an ability to transform Television into a smart,engaging and converged device impacting all media stakeholders from content creators, aggregators, broadcasters, service providers to end consumers. Television industry itself is undergoing swift changes – increase in number of broadcast channels, OTT providers, connected media adapters, new advertising models, content convergence, influence of social networks etc. which are changing the business models of how content is created, priced and distributed and when and for whom to make it available. With emergence of multiple screens and services, consumption is getting more fragmented – once accepted and sufficient single screen has given way to main and complementary screens with expectation of ubiquitous content delivery for a lower subscription cost.

Television is unique with limited or no parallels to other devices used communally and personally, and with growing agreement that Television is far more capable than what it is today it rightly stands at crossroads of disruption. Listed below are some areas which have started to evolve and will go through a feedback, improvisation and hardening phase before making real impact on the way television is accessed, used and integrated today.

Content Control

Today there exist over 500 broadcast channels in addition to VOD, OTT and user generated content while the time allotted for Television viewing has not increased but rather has got multiplexed with additional activities. But since channel and sources exists there is now a need to search/sort and present the relevant content based on the personal preference, social influence and intelligence based on the genre, age, geo-location, historical viewing and more. While the content explosion has given rise to more channels and more choices with a virtual feeling of being in control, some true innovation is still needed for meaningful control with the leisure of now forgotten laid back experience.

User Experience and Content Discovery

Channel lineups and content search are critical first interfaces to the user but unfortunately they have largely remained devoid of innovation, similar is the case with remotes which is the controller gateway to the Television but still continues to be slow and sluggish with virtues of line of sight restriction. Gesture controls integrated with smart TVs looks fun but waving hands around to actionize an event seems least intuitive. Voice control through Television remote which keys in the content and presents the intended channel seems more promising. Today Xbox does it with Kinect, Google has recently introduced Voice and not so far we may see customized Siri for Apple TV. Voice and gesture search also maintains content viewing/browsing continuity which gets broken with second screen interface. Finally whether it is gesture or voice or control through companion device – a simple no brainier content discovery interface which shows content options across retailers with price and rating details and unified purchase gateway will be a true game changer

WUWIWUP – What you watch is what you pay

Paying for channel we don’t want or don’t watch and the long lock-in periods have been a major area of conflict, it gets further provoked with pay per view subscription and alternatives from over the top service providers. While Cable providers have reasons to maintain the package offering, a middle path to charge a basic minimum and a reasonably priced a la carte channels could resonate well.  Availability of popular content from non-subscribed channels for the duration of episode or series and limited duration passes will also help subscribers to make content decisions. An ecosystem where any content is available on demand for any device on á la carte at a reasonable price will definitely bring much needed joy.

Future of Television holds great potential with convergence of platforms, internet and cloud bound to play major role in its making. Consumers today have far greater power to choose and influence ecosystem stakeholders than they ever had in the past and service which succeeds in providing the desired content in an intrinsic way for a competitive price will always make the difference.