Hogwash called, well, “hogwash”
Few people are in a position to call a new media spade a spade like Michael Arrington. Take this wonderful TechCrunch post that he calls, “Let’s Just Declare TV Dead and Move On:”
Regardless, the writing is on the wall. Sure, YouTube and CBS partnered up to declare that CBS clips on Youtube actually increased overall tv ratings, but that is almost certainly hogwash. It’s a good diversionary tactic for YouTube as they continue to grow and the networks stand around with a funny, confused look on their face. But at the end of the day, people want to consume content without the friction of having to sit down in front of a television at an appointed time. That friction doesn’t disappear just because a show clip is up on YouTube. People want to see the whole show on YouTube. There is a fundamental shift in consumer behavior going on - and the question is no longer if, but rather when, more television consumption will occur via the Internet than traditional broadcast and cable television.
I happen to agree that the network’s “glow” from its YouTube deal is a bit hard to understand, because the audience clout is with the aggregator today, not the content creator. The networks would be better off creating their own aggregator, but I’ve been down that useless road before.
