Scheduled TV is for Chumps

People don’t want someone telling them when to watch. Put the content out there and we’ll watch it when we want. That’s not how TV networks work.

The Advertising Model is Stupid

Without advertising revenue there is no network TV. Since most people no longer watch commercials, how on earth are network executives convincing advertisers to pay for them? Really, I want to be in the room for that pitch. Eventually advertisers will find a better channel.

Good Shows Get Sucked Dry

Most network TV is crap and seems to have been generated from a machine. It may sound trite to bad mouth the quality of network TV but that doesn’t make it less true. There’s too much unscripted garbage (so-called “reality” TV) and anything that’s good gets milked until people feel like they’re being played and they stop watching.

A Niche They Can’t Scratch

The whole idea of creating content that will appeal to a large demographic is no longer tenable. But without an interactive element (other than changing the channel) networks can’t cater to niches. YouTube can cater to every niche on the planet all at once because the user is in control of what they see 24 hours a day.

Content is Getting Easier to Create

Sure, some kid with a digital video camera and a copy of Final Cut Pro is not going to produce a big budget series like Lost, Heroes, or Battlestar Galactica, but how about a very small production company? There are millions of talented writers, camera operators, actors, editors, musicians, etc., out there and digital technology is already at a point where fairly sophisticated effects can be created without a team of 200 people in Hollywood. I just saw Joss Whedon’s “Dr. Horrible” which was terrific and couldn’t have cost a whole lot to produce. It was a good idea executed beautifully by all involved and it didn’t need a network.