If youre someone who plans their days and weeks around your favorite TV episodes, never risking the chance to miss a scene, youre probably among the minority.
As I wrote earlier last week, live-TV watching is becoming a thing of the past in the United States. Nearly 50 percent of the nation say they choose to stream their shows and movies. And in 2014, close to 3 million households chose to forego cable subscriptions and opt for broadband only instead.
The debate surrounding the decline of TV was re-ignited again this week as Rene Rechtman, international president at Disney-owned Maker Studios, boldly predicted that the ultimate end of TV is in sight.
In 10 years from now, I doubt that anyone under 50 will be watching linear TV, said Rechtman, as Business Insider reported.
If that sounds like a pretty incredible statement, its because it is. But its something that Rechtman who directs the largest content network on YouTube, boasting over 650 million subscribers and more than 11 billion monthly views is adamant about.
From a major demographic point of view, the tipping point has been reached, Rechtman said in a follow-up interview with Business Insider UK. I mean, theres no way back, in my opinion. Its like fighting upstream.
To better understand Rechtman's prediction, it's important to note that linear TV is an umbrella term for real-time television services that transmit program schedules, according to definedterm.com.
Non-linear TV, conversely, is any other on-demand form of programming, which is available to the user at anytime and isnt limited to one device.
Rechtman believes this is the kind of TV that will surivive and thrive that many popular TV shows will still be available to viewers, just in different shapes and forms.
It might still be on TV, but non-linear, said Rechtman.
In the future, Rechtman believes people will be watching content three different ways: through platforms that are funded by advertising, such as YouTube, through monthly subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Instant Video and finally, by paying micropayments to watch only a certain series.
And the numbers certainly back-up Rechtmans claims.
According to a 2011 survey from Leichtman Research Group, only 24 percent of American households used an Internet-connected TV. Over the past four years, the number has soared to an impressive 49 percent of households saying they have at least one Internet-connected TV.
So what makes non-linear TV so attractive?
In 2010, Janus Friis, co-founder of Kazaa and Skype, told The Guardian that most Americans have a love-hate relationship with linear TV.
People love TV, but they also hate TV. They love the amazing storytelling, the richness, the quality itself, said Friis. But they hate the linear-ness, the lack of choice, the lack of basic things like being able to search. And wholly missing is everything that we are now accustomed to from the Internet: tagging, recommendations, choice and so on.
According to Daniel Carlson, a member of the Houston Film Critics Society, its because Netflix and other on-demand viewing options replicate the linear TV experience, but have made the experience more personal.
Netflix has designed itself to replicate the TV viewing experience: passive, supportive, and boasting million channels we can flip between at our leisure, he wrote for pajiba.com.
Other experts, such as Jeff Kagan, a telecommunications analyst, say Americans like streaming because they can literally never have to be without it.
The user can watch whatever they want, whenever they want on whatever device they want, he said.
Wed love to hear your thoughts. How do you and your family get your entertainment? Send us an email or tweet @deseretnational.
As I wrote earlier last week, live-TV watching is becoming a thing of the past in the United States. Nearly 50 percent of the nation say they choose to stream their shows and movies. And in 2014, close to 3 million households chose to forego cable subscriptions and opt for broadband only instead.
The debate surrounding the decline of TV was re-ignited again this week as Rene Rechtman, international president at Disney-owned Maker Studios, boldly predicted that the ultimate end of TV is in sight.
In 10 years from now, I doubt that anyone under 50 will be watching linear TV, said Rechtman, as Business Insider reported.
If that sounds like a pretty incredible statement, its because it is. But its something that Rechtman who directs the largest content network on YouTube, boasting over 650 million subscribers and more than 11 billion monthly views is adamant about.
From a major demographic point of view, the tipping point has been reached, Rechtman said in a follow-up interview with Business Insider UK. I mean, theres no way back, in my opinion. Its like fighting upstream.
To better understand Rechtman's prediction, it's important to note that linear TV is an umbrella term for real-time television services that transmit program schedules, according to definedterm.com.
Non-linear TV, conversely, is any other on-demand form of programming, which is available to the user at anytime and isnt limited to one device.
Rechtman believes this is the kind of TV that will surivive and thrive that many popular TV shows will still be available to viewers, just in different shapes and forms.
It might still be on TV, but non-linear, said Rechtman.
In the future, Rechtman believes people will be watching content three different ways: through platforms that are funded by advertising, such as YouTube, through monthly subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Instant Video and finally, by paying micropayments to watch only a certain series.
And the numbers certainly back-up Rechtmans claims.
According to a 2011 survey from Leichtman Research Group, only 24 percent of American households used an Internet-connected TV. Over the past four years, the number has soared to an impressive 49 percent of households saying they have at least one Internet-connected TV.
So what makes non-linear TV so attractive?
In 2010, Janus Friis, co-founder of Kazaa and Skype, told The Guardian that most Americans have a love-hate relationship with linear TV.
People love TV, but they also hate TV. They love the amazing storytelling, the richness, the quality itself, said Friis. But they hate the linear-ness, the lack of choice, the lack of basic things like being able to search. And wholly missing is everything that we are now accustomed to from the Internet: tagging, recommendations, choice and so on.
According to Daniel Carlson, a member of the Houston Film Critics Society, its because Netflix and other on-demand viewing options replicate the linear TV experience, but have made the experience more personal.
Netflix has designed itself to replicate the TV viewing experience: passive, supportive, and boasting million channels we can flip between at our leisure, he wrote for pajiba.com.
Other experts, such as Jeff Kagan, a telecommunications analyst, say Americans like streaming because they can literally never have to be without it.
The user can watch whatever they want, whenever they want on whatever device they want, he said.
Wed love to hear your thoughts. How do you and your family get your entertainment? Send us an email or tweet @deseretnational.
