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Windows Programming

Notes An apt quote cited in the book is of Judy McGrath, the former MTV CEO, that everybody
who is making TV content now is thinking about Twitter, Facebook, and some sort of
social media connection. The biggest question, according to her, is what kind of content
would be successful on the widest variety of platforms. And the answer, as she sees it, is to
either aim for the stars or aim for the cool, influential fringe. “The big things are getting
bigger, the small things need to be cool and influential, and the middle, the average
programming, that’s over.”

The World in your Pocket

Going forward the buzzword is mobile, avers Roedy. Reminding that the television
industry used to brag that it could bring the world into your living room, which by itself
was quite extraordinary, he says that now the industry can put the world in your pocket,
by delivering content to a BlackBerry, iPod, iPad, and eventually every mobile device,
sticking to the pervasive theme of television anywhere, anytime.
An example mentioned in the book is smart TV, that is, a television capable of accessing
the Internet. “In the past TVs were sold as cable-ready, but in 2010, 21 per cent of the TVs
sold to consumers were Internet-enabled. The technology is evolving and there are still
difficulties to be resolved like ease of navigation and eliminating the keyboard, but in the
past technology has been able to overcome every hurdle.”
Foreseeing that gradually all TVs will evolve into a combination of television and computer,
Roedy explains that in such a scenario Internet services and websites like Twitter, Netflix,
Google TV, Apple TV, and Amazon’s streaming service are all going to be available on the
living room television, as well as on smartphones and tablets.

Insatiable Need for Content

On the challenge of distribution faced by content providers, the author observes that the
traditional business model of providing content to the cable system operators and the
direct-to-home operators has become complicated owing to the proliferation of distribution
platforms, the only thing common being the insatiable need for content. Reminisces
Roedy that only a few years ago many people were writing off content, believing that the
ability of people to upload material to the Internet would result in a world of user-
generated content. “That was the original appeal of YouTube. User-generated content is
available now and some of it is very good.”

Suggesting, for instance, that if you would like to find someone who sings like a young
Beyoncé or a newer Beyoncé, there are sites that will lead you to her, the author underlines
that the vast majority of the audience wants Beyoncé – not a younger or newer version, but
the real thing. The lesson that he draws is that professionally produced storytelling remains
by far the most popular programming across the entire spectrum of platforms, from cable
TV to mobile phones. “The most-often viewed videos on YouTube, for example, are
highly produced materials that either are pirated or licensed, a trend that I believe will
continue.”

Choice of Viewing Windows

In the author’s opinion, the most serious challenge facing content providers is figuring
out which distribution services in what form produce the best revenue stream. “The
equation is what screens among all the possible distribution methods to license with how

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