Discuss the extent to which the distribution and consumption of media have been transformed by the internet?

In class we were given the essay question  Discuss the extent to which the distribution and consumption of media have been transformed by the internet? down below I will copy in my answer to this question.

TV has been in ever changing industry since it began in the 1920’s and it has recently been making even bigger strides with new channels being added on a regular basis as well as the introduction of smart TV meaning you can now access the internet through your TV. As well as being able to access the internet through TV’s the internet has had a massive impact on the amount of TV people watch because of how big sites like YouTube where you can watch videos for free and now subscription packages like Netflix and Amazon Prime becoming much more popular.

With the popularity of the internet getting bigger the traditional TV channels like BBC, ITV and Chanel 4 have had to start using the internet to their advantage as well. All of these big name channels now have online platforms that they use for example BBC IPlayer and 4OD. These platforms are keeping the old school TV channels up to dates with what consumers what in the current generation. These platforms mean that consumers can watch TV programs from the past as well as being able to watch shows on the go meaning that you can watch a program from the precious night or week that you missed wen ever and wherever you want as long as you have a smartphone, Tablet or Laptop. The reason that TV channels like BBC and Chanel 4 do this is because they have to do something to keep up with the increased usage of YouTube, Amazon prime and Netflix.al though the on demand services are making it easier for people to consume programmes they have missed they still aren’t on the level of the paid subscription services like Amazon Prime and Netflix. The reason that on demand services will always struggle to keep up with the paid subscription services is because on the paid subscription services you can binge watch all the episodes you want to at once meaning that it already has a big advantage on the on demand TV services that are available.

One way that TV channels are trying to keep up with the use of the internet as well as through on demand services is through social media where especially the BBC are using programmes like EastEnders to use Twitter and Facebook to put out spoilers and sneak peeks of behind the scene bits. This is making sure that the consumers always have something to look at and think about so they firstly don’t forget what’s going on but also don’t forget to watch that nights episodes. As well as doing this TV channels are bringing out Internet webisodes /internet micro series. A webisode is an episode of a series that is distributed as web television. It is available as either for download or in streaming, as opposed to first airing on broadcast or cable television. The format can be used as a preview, a promotion, as part of a collection of shorts, or a commercial. These tend to be distributed on online services like YouTube or Netflix and Amazon Prime and will usually be brought out on a weekly basis but could also be aired daily but they will just be uploaded to an internet site and can be watched at any time unlike normal TV where you have to watch it at a certain time. The appeal of webisode’s is that because they are distributed online they can be consumed at any time they also have a smaller budget than a normal TV show, they tend to be shorter episodes. If you compare this to normal TV that you have to watch at a certain time and are longer and have a much bigger budget you can understand why consumer prefer there entertainment consumed on the internet and not through TV as much anymore. As well as the introduction of the things I have previously mentioned it is worth mentioning that because of the popularity increase of YouTube everyone can now become a producer and content creator for an extremely small price and can make content that is much more relatable than the content that can be found on TV. In conclusion I would say that consumer still like there content distributed on both TV and online but I do believe that within just a number of years that normal TV will be in the shadow of online media and people will be using on demand and paid subscription services as well as YouTube more than they will be watching TV.