I'm not a huge fan of the current trajectory of the entertainment industry. Historically, they have fought changes in technology kicking and screaming, refusing to alter their business models even when all signs say they should. They're so bad that when they finally cave in to the pressure and try embracing technological development as opposed to shunning it (see sony drm, broadcast flag ... any story involving the RIAA) it is a news story.
CNN is running an article about how the television network's "gamble" of making shows available on the iTunes music store paid off.
LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- Television networks took a leap into the unknown when they started selling their shows on Apple's iTunes online store, but even in these early days, it's starting to look as if that faith in digital downloads was well placed.
...
[Executive producer of "The Office" Ben Silverman] noted that "The Office," which went into reruns just before the video iPod's first Christmas, was boosted by people who discovered the show when they were browsing to find something to put on their new device.
"That confluence brought us a sampling of a new audience, which also is not an audience that watches TV by sitting down at the time the broadcaster wants to show it," he said.
Gamble? I don't see any gamble here, at all. There's little cost associated with making content purchasable online. It doesn't make piracy any easier -- I'd actually say it's a bit harder to DRM strip a iTunes video file than it is to just capture a television stream. And as the article points out, it opens their shows up to all sorts of new audiences. Good work, TV networks. ("Welcome to 2006, my name is Kyle, we're all really glad you decided to join us here.") I really hope that this is the turning point. Stop fighting the wave and start riding it.
