Friday, December 08, 2006

THE DEATH OF CRAP TV

The last year has seen some seismic movements going on in the world of entertainment. What with YouTube appearing from nowhere overnight, and now everyone knows about it. I mean, blimey...first I ever heard of YouTube was four months ago, I think. And then there's all the social networking sites, MySpace, Bebo, and then there's Google preparing to totally digitize the book world.

The landscape in the last twelve months has changed completely, and the future, well it's going to be very, very different for all of us. Perhaps the biggest change for us will come when broadcast entertainment collapses, and I think it will pretty soon. Advertising revenue is vanishing quickly. It's finally become known to the big advertising spenders, that people spend far more time arseing around on MSN, grazeing through YouTube videos, or pushing around solitaire cards, than they are watching TV.

That money's now going elsewhere. And all those stations derive the largest portion of their revenue, by far, from advertising. In theory, they should go bust pretty soon, and with fingers crossed, SKY will crumble in on itself....thank god.

Leaving of course, only one major broadcast entertainment supplier; the one that DOESNT rely on selling us easy money (even if we have CCJs and a terrible credit record), or selling us sugary toxic fruit drinks for the kids, or selling us cars and holidays we can't afford...

Yes, I'm talking about the BBC. The one with the protected revenue source, the licence.

My hope would be that, now, no longer having to chase ratings to compete with those brash, noisy, crappy, ad-infested, trailer-trash digital stations...and thus, through neccessity, dumb down their content - we might once again see the return of quality TV from the beeb.

That's my hope.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

TV Snob!! LOL

Alex Scarrow said...

Not so much a snob. I just expect a little more effort from the broadcast industry, than they've put into the likes of 'Asbo Bitch to Beauty Queen', 'F*ck off I'm Fat!', 'DIY SOS', '10 Years Younger' etc etc. :-)

Anonymous said...

tis true but there are some good programs out there, if you avoid all the reality crap. And the lets see if we can poke our noses into others lives, loves wants and poo!

admitadly alot of the good stuff seems to come from the USA.

Anonymous said...

I do agree with all that TV is going down the pan, in a big way, but as i don't want much any more doesn't make much difference to me.

The wife and I actually like DIY SOS, I know I know, but its the only makeover show that actually does what the recipient wants, not that some stupid designer wants, Just look the fact that changing rooms is no longer being made but DIY SOS is.

Hey Parm the states does do some good programs but they are few and far between and i am getting really tired of an American accent.

:-)

Anonymous said...

I remember when people said that the internet would mean the death of traditional books. Remember when even Stephen King fell flat on his arse trying to publish solely on the net?

Books are still around and TV still has a way to go too.

Alex,
I don't suppose you intend to publish Last Light solely on the net by any chance? Now that would be brave!

Alex Scarrow said...

I think King's problem was that he was charging too much for it...or maybe that he was charging at all! Back then people expected everything on the net to be free.

Nowadays, people are getting used to having to pay for access to sites, and digital content.

It's too early to announce the death of th traditional publishing business. But I have a horrible feeling it will change substantially in the next few years.

Anonymous said...

i cant seen digital books ever replacing real books, we all love the book in our hands when reading!
most of us still print things out to read them.
and they look so good on the book shelf.

Anonymous said...

I think the digital book will arrive, and will be something that looks like a good hardback, and you will use it as such, but you will download your books onto it and read them there, and press a button to turn the page.

Just think one slimline LCD book in your overnight bag that has every book you ever want to read on it an you can use it for board reports etc etc.....

I guess even a smaller paperback version that fits in your pocket.

Could even include little pictures or video, Just think Al, on the front cover of Suns your YouTube video?

But digital books will mean more and more crap gets published as anyone can generate an electronic book....

Alex Scarrow said...

Aaargghh. Bloody spambots are everywhere now. I wish some omniscient force would sweep the net clear of this kind of junk.

Anonymous said...

The only digital book I'd like is one where it prints out on black and white A4 paper.

To the untrained eye, I'd be at my desk 'working' but in reality I'd be at an airfield in Nantes...

Alex Scarrow said...

heh.

btw, I'm a complete dunce remembering names....Mike, are you one of the members of our forum?

Anonymous said...

Yes, and you are a complete dunce at remembering names!

Mike from Chester = Deva (the Roman name for the city of Chester).
Remember the exceptionally handsome guy you met in Waterstones Deansgate?

Alex Scarrow said...

Ahhh! That's the problem, I think of you and the other forum regulars by your forum names. Confusing to ol' Alex 'Goldfish' Scarrow ;-)