Would you subscribe to free broadcast television? Rumors are spreading of a possible subscription option from Apple, bringing you programs from the likes of CBS to AppleTV and iTunes. For $30 per month you may soon be able to get your favorite television programs ad-free and on-demand. But is the world ready for the cable model to be applied to regular broadcast television?
It’s an option that many consumers would be willing to pay for, as they would no longer have to find themselves in front of a television to watch the latest program. They would also be able to view their favorite programs on their iPhone or iPod whenever and wherever they want.
Similar to the direction in which print media had to go, making content mobile is a sheer necessity in this day and age. Several options have already begun to arise when it comes to remote consumption of major broadcast television programing, with on-demand options as well. You can pay a few dollars extra to your cable or satellite provider if you would like to enjoy a few more on-demand options for your favorite TV shows. Other online initiatives such as Hulu have made it easier than ever to view your favorite programming for free, on-demand.
TiVo is another company that has been struggling to make strides in the arena of offering content in the manner for which consumers would prefer, with several recent initiatives taking full advantage of the cooperative options that have become increasingly available to the service provider. It’s this level of cooperation between companies like TiVo and the major broadcast networks that has stalled the development of products and services that could be of greater benefit to the end consumer, as major broadcasters need to know how such options can be monetized prior to fully signing on.
Yet the dominance and ever-growing presence of Apple and its products could help to revolutionize major broadcasting across the entire industry, becoming a haven of sorts in an era where traditional media is still finding a way to fit into the new consumer models that are aptly available. What Apple does is provide the devices as well as the monetization and the distribution for any media company to leverage, becoming a more attractive model than other companies with less pull.
Nevertheless, the growing reliance on Apple for the distribution of media is also becoming an integral part of our current culture. The dangers of which include an inability to efficiently search for content, receieve personalized recommendations and easy access to the longtail of possible content without the use of third party applications.
An additional issue could be the limit of pricing flexibility around the content, if Apple monopolizes partnerships with major broadcasters for any impending subscription deals. This is an issue that prevailed with the music industry in the past couple years, with dissonance between the music industry, Apple and several other store providers including Wal-Mart and Amazon.
Regardless of these issues, Apple is still in a good position to take the lead on any upcoming industry trends for personalized media distribution. Having the ability to establish standards around this could ultimately be in the best interest of consumers, and that’s the idea, right?
