Cable TV as Going Obsolete Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cable TV as Going Obsolete - Assignment Example 2). The range is more of a generalization rather than a fact since different shows and different networks cater to different people. Taking those into account, television has a possible target demographic ranging from toddlers to octogenarians with little regard for race, level of education or occupation. Over the years, technology has advanced to the point wherein information is accessible through more than one channel. Of late, the internet has become the same kind of competitor to television as television once was to radio. In their 2012 Accenture Consumer Electronics Products and Services Usage Report, Accenture (2012) found out that â€Å"the percentage of consumers watching broadcast or cable TV shows, movies or videos on TV, in a typical week, plummeted from 71 percent in 2009 to 48 percent in 2011† (p. 8). There are many reasons why people are shifting from television’s scheduled programming to internet. One of the more common reasons is convenience. In a high-s peed world, people find less and less time at home to watch the shows they want to watch on TV. Another recent survey by Nielsen (2012) showed that users of Netflix, an on-demand streaming media provider, have chosen to watch more TV programs on it than ever before totaling 19% of their subscribers which makes an 8% increase from the previous year. Subscribers can watch and rewatch their favorite shows whenever they want with services like these. Another factor that makes online viewing more appealing is the mobility. In a study conducted by Blip.tv (2011), one of the Internet's largest independently owned and operated video properties, people have been spending 9% less time watching television, 26% more time watching web series on the PC, while spending 19% more time watching video content on a mobile device. With the wide range of tablet PCs and smartphones in the market today, people will have little reason to stay at home and watch TV when they can view their favorite videos onl ine wherever they go. On a related note, age and society can also be factors. In the Hollywood Reporter, Georg Szalai (2011) wrote about how baby boomers (47-65 year old citizens) spend more time watching TV than the average person, averaging 5-6 hours a day compared to the 4 hours and 49 minutes of people within the 18-49 year old demographic. Many television networks are making changes to appeal to these people by revamping old shows and featuring familiar faces on their networks. This could be brought about by the older audience’s unfamiliarity with the newer technology. Conversely, the younger crowd is opting for more internet-based or â€Å"cloud services.† Accenture (2012) found that â€Å"Thirty-eight percent of younger consumers have stopped or almost stopped renting or buying DVDs, and 16 percent said they had terminated or were considering terminating TV subscription services† (p. 9). Economically speaking, the increase in the number of consumers willi ng to terminate their TV subscriptions is a practical one. Why would people continue to pay for services they would use for only 3-4 hours a day when they can get the same service anytime they want, anywhere they want along with their internet subscription? All these shifts toward cloud services are dependent on the availability of the hardware and the reliability of an internet connection. Computers are getting smaller, more sophisticated