Kirk Interactive Online Pulse

Google TV possibly coming in May...

2010-05-02T21:13:00.001-07:00

So, what happens to TV when internet icon Google decides to take it's wares onto the "big screen"? Cross-platform internet integration - possibly taking the internet into the TV for good.

While details haven't been revealed yet, it's hard to deny the inevitable push Online has been making to TV. There have been multiple attempts in the past, and none has closed the deal yet. However, with technology such as NetFlix's movie delivery via PS3, Wii, and internet-ready BluRay players, I believe that the bridge is finally coming together between web and TV.

Most recently, reports cited 800,000 subscribers cutting their cable and opting to get TV through the internet in 2009. But that may be just for economic reasons - not preference. But! - The real story here is that many folks are seeing the careful trade-off between cost, convenience, and quality hitting a point where TV through the internet is looking more and more attractive.

Google's venture into TV by itself isn't the deal-closer for bringing the web onto TV... But it's announcement & availability could prompt consumer electronic manufacturers to begin creating TV's that have special features to ease online access.

Now that's where the rubber hits the road! If you make it an easy and seamless experience, and you don't charge an arm and a leg for it, you can see how the Cost, Convenience, Quality balance model could make a dynamic shift.

Remember: Apple changed the music industry with a single device: iPod.
Could it happen to TV as well?

NetFlix Online Movie Streaming Seen as Threat

2010-04-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

We all know that the online world is full of possibilities to replace conventional (or "legacy") media distribution. The U.S. Postal Service and local newspapers are traditional targets of this demonstration, both unable to compete with the financial models of email and Craigslist respectively.

But there are numerous other online tools that can be seen as threatening to other legacy channels which either don't succeed or don't have as serious of an effect on their legacy counterparts. So purely offering a free (or substantially reduced cost) online version of something we're used to paying for isn't the only ingredient for success.

In my opinion, the remaining litmus test for online replacements to traditional distribution channels is ease and accessibility. It is more often the lack of these 2 elements that ultimately cause great online ideas to fall.

So in all, you have 4 elements that need to work together:
- Cost
- Quality
- Accessibility
- Ease of use

Taking these 4 elements into consideration, my bet is on NetFlix being the next giant killer. While NetFlix is no stranger to households, it's foray into the online video streaming world has made many people (including myself) a convert whose primary TV viewing is now done through an internet connection - but not on a computer.

NetFlix has offered online video streaming of certain titles for a while, but the real switch came for me when they integrated online streaming through my PlayStation 3. Suddenly, NetFlix had conquered Ease & Accessibility. Hours of high-quality entertainment (Quality) for $9 a month (Cost) that I watch on my TV (Ease) and control thru my PS3 (Accessibility).

With entire seasons-worth of TV episodes readily available (with no commercials!), I've been enamored by how well the NetFlix system works, and I won't be surprised when they start offering proprietary programming through this distribution channel.

When that happens, the internet will have a true foot-hold on broadcast video and will have a means out of it's current status-holder of "narrow-casting".

US Govt. Pushes For Better Broadband Access

2010-03-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

Right on the heels of a report that 80% of the public believes that internet access is a human right, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) laid out a plan to increase not only the availability of broadband access, but the speed of broadband access.

In addition to this, the plan also pushes to free up more bandwidth in the 'airwave spectrum' to allow better internet coverage and higher speeds for mobile devices.

While some may look at this as a "consumerism" move, it actually shows an adjustment to the incoming of "Millennial's", or the 2nd half of "Gen. Y". As the largest group of people since the baby boomers move into the professional and career realm, this generation has the dubious distinction of not knowing what a Card Catalog is - and why should they?

They were brought up in front of a computer (or a portable device), not the TV (like Gen X). If the first half of Gen. Y was knocked for the "Everyone gets a trophy" mentality that brought about a "I deserve it no matter what" work ethic, Millennials believe "I should have it all the time, no matter where I am".

Of course, this begs the question of how will the expansion of the online playing field affect business - specifically the dissemination of information. Think of this tid-bit: The FCC's plan requests the voluntary donation of Broadcast TV spectrum space to make this happen.

And if that doesn't work: "The FCC said it would leave open the possibility of taking action if broadcasters do not voluntarily give up spectrum."

Paying for online news - will it work?

2010-03-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

It's been in the works for, well, since the internet started really. News sources, especially subscription based services such as newspapers and magazines, have been walking a double-edged sword when it comes to their online strategy:
- To be competitive, they need to offer their content online,
- But to remain a viable (profitable) business model, they need to be paid for their content

But today, some big names in the newspaper industry are announcing plans to charge for their online content.

The pay-for-content model in the online world has been relegated to more niche-industries where the content has a more 'evergreen' quality, so you pay for it and the value of your content purchase is still viable (albeit perhaps lowered) the next day.

But news content has 2 problems in the charge-for-content model:
- It has an expiration date of right-now, so today's news has no value tomorrow.
- News content is harvested from the public domain, so once it is released even to a single person, it can be re-sent (hopefully with source credit) to anyone.

Media Big-Guns are looking to models such as the Wall Street Journal, who charges for visitors to have full access to all online articles. But the WSJ is a very niche newspaper whose news has value regardless of what city you live in.

Can that model be implemented for local online news sources? Well, anything can be implemented, but believing that revenue from charging for online access to local news will resurrect the newspaper industry would be a mistake. And in my opinion, would be shooting the only good foot newspapers have left.

Internet access considered a basic human "right" by 80% of people

2010-03-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

According to Wiki, the basic human rights definition includes:
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

And in the information age, that now spans into the internet.

Internet access now considered to be a basic human right by 80% of people worldwide according to a recent poll.

When put into perspective with American rights protected by the Constitution, it makes sense - the very first amendment prohibits Congress from making laws impeding the free exercise of religion, infringing on the freedom of speech and infringing on the freedom of the press.

2 of these 3 elements are a major part of why the public accesses the internet (free speech and free press, specifically), add in the right to assemble/non-violent protest and you've got a pretty good argument on your hands as to why everyone should have access to the internet.

Maybe they'll even write the new amendment on Apple's new iPad

GM now offers Wi Fi in your car

2010-02-26T08:20:00.000-08:00

Most mediums are measured by their 'penetration', or how readily available they are to potential consumers. For print, their penetration into an area is measured by subscribers. Same goes for a cable TV company, even broadcast TV.

But no other medium comes even close to offering the penetration of the internet. Having online access in your car isn't the big deal here - we technically already have that if you have a smart phone - what is amazing is that now we are reaching a point of (ahem...) repeated penetration for a single medium with a consumer - while they are moving.

Also worth noting is that the technology is aimed at replacing legacy media (your radio) by offering the ability to stream internet audio through the stereo.

Pepsi opts out of Superbowl TV ads

2010-02-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

The most watched TV program has been dumped by Pepsi, a notorious Superbowl commercial standard. Why? Pepsi wants to put the money towards an online branding campaign called RefreshEverything.com.

Pepsi is seeing the light at the beginning of the tunnel, not the end. That beginning is a change in the largest buying demo. And their new strategy targets the way that demo gets it's information: online!