Today we read an interesting blog in PR Daily by Alan Pearcy about the potential death of Television.  “According to this infographic from AccreditedOnlineColleges.com, one-third of Americans watch videos online every day, accounting for an average of 28.3 hours a month of viewing on the Web. More than 80 percent of 18 to 29 year olds said they watch some, most, or all of their shows online, while 29 percent said they don’t think they need to own a TV at all.”  Click on the link to the infographic above to fully absorb the magnitude of the trend of how consumers have transitioned from watching TV to viewing videos on their computers.

So what is the future of TV as we know it? Given that we recently moved and are starting new schools and rituals with our children, our family was wondering if we still need TV. With the arrival of Apple TV, Google TV, Netflix and Hulu to name a few, watching our favorite shows on-line is so easy and in-expensive. Our local provider has bundled internet, home phone and cable so it is difficult to direct the exact cost of each. However, given that our children are older we are looking strategically at what type of technology truly best suits our home. Do we still need cable? do we need a phone land line? Can we get by with the hotspot technology of our phones to connect our computers to the internet? In this tough economy is it worth it to spend $150 a month for the bundle? We are researching Apple TV so will keep you posted on what we decide.

This trend has serious implications for Brand Marketers who depend upon TV advertising as the main way to communicate Brand imagery to consumers especially the primary purchasers– moms. The good news is many are already investing in the social media revolution and streaming video options.  Meanwhile, “how soon is the death of TV as we know it” must be an input for marketing mix models across brand marketing departments nationwide. What do you think?

Related articles

• http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/12515.aspx
• See The Facebook Status Update That May Signal The Death Of TV (businessinsider.com)
• People Now Spend More Time Watching Their Phones Than Watching TV (businessinsider.com)
• THE DEATH OF TV: Comcast Lost Nearly 400,000 Cable Subscribers In Last Year (CMCSA) (businessinsider.com)