Redefining TV?

The world of television, and how we experience, is changing.  On one hand, we have the lumbering elephant of network broadcast TV, already beset by the dominance of multichannel distributors and their hundreds of channels of competition.  On the other hand is IPTV and all that brings - streaming video, user-generated video, social media, etc.  Add to the mix the growing prevalence of DVRs and the emergence of mobile TV in myriad forms, and pretty soon you have elephant stew.  Or maybe elephant curry.
Susan Ashworth, in a post on the TVTechnology blog, suggrested that there is an opportunity now to merge the quality content of the professional video industry with the ability to foster connectivity with viewers, and create an engaged, more reliable, and more valuable, audience.

Despite the initial wary eye that broadcasting had for what's being dubbed the "second screen," and its social media clique, broadcast networks and local stations, as well as cable and satellite, have slowly begun to embrace this phenomenon. By pairing a social media component with traditional broadcast solutions, networks are using social media to do everything anew: sensationalize the debut of a new program, exchange info with viewers, encourage speculation on upcoming programming and test their interests.

From initially viewing the Internet as a major threat, the big TV networks are beginning to embrace its potential - making its content available to viewers outside scheduled hours, and exploring the net's (and social media's) potential for promotion.  Led by local broadcasters, they're also beginning to take advantage of the available user-generated content. A group of local stations have partnered with ConnecTV to implement a system that would sync broadcast programs with second screen experiences. As ConnecTV's CEO Stacy Jolna quipped -

"There are new ways of connecting, new ways of advertising, new sways of promoting... This would really light up the TV experience for consumers."

She also notes that while harnessing social media chatter about TV is still in its infancy, broadcasters and networks are seeing the value of immediate feedback, particularly in contrast to the delays (and recent problems of) traditional ratings. 

"It used to be that the only personal connection you had with any on-air talent was if you say them at an event," the Weather Channel's Boss said. "[Social media] is a way to really communicate with and engage viewers in a conversation.

It's a changing world - take advantage of it.

Source:- Defining the TV Experience,  TVTechnology