Note: This column represents the opinions
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Up until now, the creation and operation of a TV successful channel has been a very
expensive venture open only to those with deep pockets and access to lots of
good content.
As a result, New Zealand still only has a handful of nation-wide TV broadcasters --
but I'm thinking that this will change sometime in the near future.
A key hurdle for would-be national broadcasters to overcome to date has been
that of getting the necessary frequencies and setting up a network
of transmitters.
Once we get *real* broadband at affordable rates (cue Commerce Commission rhetoric),
just about anyone will be able to get into the video content business -- either
in realtime (ie: IP TV) or by providing material for download.
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If you recall how the Net became the "everyman's printing press" of the 1990s
it's not hard to see how it is gearing up to become the "everyman's TV channel"
of the 21st century.
Anyone armed with a camcorder and basic editing/server software could (in theory)
set up their own challenger to TVNZ, TV3 or Sky.
Of course we all know that there's a snot-load more to producing watchable TV
content than just having the technical bits in place. You, I and 99.9% of
those who might be tempted to give this a go probably lack the massive amount
of other skills needed to do so.
Few people are going to want to tune in and watch the online equivalent of
home-movies. No, if you want to start your own TV channel through the Net
you'll need some production, direction and creative talent and experience also.
However, this doesn't mean we won't see some very successful (mainly "cult")
IP broadcasters appearing over the next few years -- and some of it will be
surprisingly good.
I'm picking that someone will soon launch the IP TV equivalent of 7am.com, the
news service I started back in 1997.
I know I'm not alone in becoming increasingly cynical and critical of the mainstream
news broadcasters. When the material they broadcast on the 6pm news isn't plain
wrong, it's usually sensationalised out of all belief. The time is ripe for
a new level of news reporting; a broadcaster who allows regular folks all around
the world to report the events that are happening right on their own doorstep.
With 7am.com we achieved this with incredible success. 7am.com was the first
website in the world to carry the pictures from the first Mars Rover mission.
We were also the first in the world to report the start of Clinton's attack
on Iraq. We had the Star Report all zipped up and online ahead of all the other
major news publishers -- and the list of our "firsts" continued to grow, as did
the number of people who flocked to the website to read this stuff.
There is absolutely no reason why exactly the same situation could not be
repeated using video content delivered through a realtime IP-based TV news
service. Like 7am.com, this service could effectively be operated out of a
broom-closet and rely on "real folks" who are "on the spot" for content.
In fact, I've been much tempted to give this a go -- but right now I've got
other things on my plate. Who knows though? :-)
Lighten Up
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So you think I"m crazy? Well take a look at
this idiot
who thinks that tying a few model aircraft turbines to a backpack is going to
catapult him into a new business. But no, he's not actually auctioning the
jetpack, he's selling the right to name it for a cool half-million US$.
But, if you're a cynic, you need to watch
this video
where you can see that the Japanese are already well ahead of our friend
on eBay.
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