How web streaming is affecting TV and movies

This past summer there seemed to be a lack of Hollywood blockbusters. Many attribute this to the economy, but I think a greater factor is web streaming. Nowadays, people have the ability to watch movies and TV shows for free on the Internet immediately after, and in some cases even before, the movies premiere. And what used to be someone sneaking a video camera into the movie theatre, has become good quality clear copies of the movies and shows.

I remember when Napster first came and revolutionized the music industry by offering free music, then soon movies became available and it changed everything. Thanks to bit torrents and sites like YouTube and Megavideo, people can download movies in minutes and get a relatively similar experience to watching on TV or in the theatre. It's very hard to regulate this type of thing because of the shear amount of websites available and legal technicalities from country to country.

People seem to think that your downloading movies only hurts the actors and movie studios who are getting millions for each film and could use a pay cut. But really, the vast majority of people who work on films are low paid workers who need the film industry to make a living. Other alternatives have come along like Amazon, iTunes, Netflix… who offer movies online at a price a lot cheaper than seeing movies in theatres or on DVD. Still, when faced with the option of a cheap legit movie, or seeing a movie for free, people will always tend to go with the free option.

How twitter has affected business and the media

When I first heard about the idea of twitter I thought it was pretty stupid. It didn’t interest me at all to know that my friend was just getting out of the shower or about to watch a movie. But eventually curiosity got the best of me. I created a twitter account, and haven’t looked back since. Though at times it is an even bigger distraction than Facebook, I do believe twitter can be a very useful tool for both socializing and business.

I use twitter mainly to follow sports news, updates and rumors, following mainly writers, TV personnel, and certain players. But I also use it to follow a select few celebrities, artists, and comedians. These people have a following ranging anywhere from 20 people, to over 1.6 million (@ConanOBrien). From a business perspective anytime Conan Obrien says something, 1.6 million people automatically see it. So anytime he has a show or wants to promote a product he has a following of people that will take a serious look at it just because Conan said so.

Twitter has also changed media by allowing people to get up to the second news. Recently someone tweeted the former Canadiens coach, Pat Burns, had passed away, and within minutes almost every hockey writer tweeted the same thing, only to realize that this was an unconfirmed rumor, and he was indeed still alive. This just goes to show how twitter can also be a pretty dangerous tool. If it is not used carefully, and someone like @ladygaga (largest twitter following, over 6.3 million people) were to tweet something false, there could be major consequences.

The end of the newspaper industry

I always felt that once the New York Times stopped printing, newspapers will cease to exist. Last week Arianna Huffington tweeted a link to an article saying that the paper will stop printing sometime in the near future, probably in the next five years. It really got me thinking how the news industry has changed over the last decade and how things would change if newspaper stopped printing.

When the Montreal Gazette decided not to print anymore Sunday newspapers, I had a conversation with my parents about how the newspaper industry is dying and how it would affect our lives. We basically came to the conclusion that it's very much a generation issue, where until about maybe 10-15 years ago the newspaper was essentially the only means of getting the news. Nowadays, thanks to the Internet, we are able to get up to the minute news, and don’t have to wait until the next morning before we read about it.

To illustrate the transition of papers going online, the best example I can give is the Montreal Gazette sports section, with the website habsinsideout.com. The website which started 5 years ago is now getting over a million hits per month and has become a good forum for both writers and fans. This just goes to show that people will always need news and there are ways to profit from writing online.

With newspapers dying and more blogs and media outlets appearing, it seems as if we are very close to losing the newspaper in the next few years. Will it affect me personally? I don’t really think so, I'm perfectly fine reading of my laptop or IPad when I drink my coffee. But for many it will be a tough transition. Hopefully people will be able to adjust and realize that new sources of media are quite an improvement (to be discussed next week).