If in 2011, larger numbers of TV viewers become more screen-agnostic, using Hulu, Netflix, mobile video to a greater extent than they do today, with their demonstrated appetites for 'snackable' video clips of all sorts, and as major TV distributors and appliance vendors ramp up sales of devices that allow Internet-delivered TV to be viewed on standard TV screens, it is possible more questions are going to be asked about the future of linear TV.
That would come as no surprise. It is not clear whether older debates about allowing or forcing linear TV to be offered channel-by-channel, in a la carte fashion, will resurface. Right now, it seems unlikely. Nor is it especially likely any of the leading linear video distributors will reverse course and suddenly decide their business models are better served by a widespread shift to a la carte viewing.
That would come as no surprise. It is not clear whether older debates about allowing or forcing linear TV to be offered channel-by-channel, in a la carte fashion, will resurface. Right now, it seems unlikely. Nor is it especially likely any of the leading linear video distributors will reverse course and suddenly decide their business models are better served by a widespread shift to a la carte viewing.
Most important of all, content owners and program networks do not yet see the value of a la carte buying. Content businesses are all about the content, fundamentally. Without access to the "hot" content lots of people want, any distribution channel will enjoy modest success.
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