Emergence and Effectivity of Online Television - Essay Sample

Television usage is very popular among communities across communities. It is a medium which every person enjoys watching on a daily basis both at work, home and along the way on mobile phones as individuals travel from one destination to the other. Various studies have been done to ascertain the usage of television over time. Therefore, in this paper, the effectiveness of online television as compared to broadcast television is enhanced. It will be backed by the evidence from viewers and other studies.

According to the study conducted by Urban and Agness to examine and determine how the online television via smartphone is being marketed to the users and how the users embrace its actual usage, various findings were put forth. For instance, Urban found that viewers use smart phone mostly during their free time either at home or work or as they travel so as to acquire various information. He also postulated that individuals use smart phone in their homes and the process makes it easier for most people to access news, and other programs without a Television gadget or live broadcast, a process which enables individuals to develop television viewing practice. In my opinion, I tend to agree with the findings of Urban and his counterpart since individuals spent most time of the day at work so as to acquire income which they use on daily transactions to meet daily needs. Therefore, during the time people come from work or different business enterprises, they can take a few minutes on the bus to get updates about what has been going on during the day through online television. Besides, to others, they wait until they arrive at home in the evening is when they use the mobile phones to get the updates at the comfort of their beds. Also, smart phone can be used even in offices when a worker has no commitment or during their free time. These make the usage of the smart phone to be very vibrant among users.

According to the recent studies, there has been an assertion that smart phone usage is currently outdoing watching the broadcast television over time. However, Quail and Christine refute this assertion and give a proof that it cannot work since viewers still value the live broadcasts. First and foremost, the scholars postulate that the digital divide does restrict the use of online television streaming from being mainstream. It is because they tend to present a claim that most users are 16 to 25 years and this can have some negative influence on their character. Besides, they criticize the process by mentioning that the process of the users going to the online mainstreaming services is more of work as opposed to the public participation. They argue that one cannot watch what they want at the time they want. It is because smartphone or mobile televisions are subjected to restriction and a high degree of control, which comes with the online streaming distribution as it is with the broadcast distribution. Besides, broadcast television is than online television streaming since broadcast television is not subjected to some costs especially when monthly subscriptions are made. However, in the case of online television, one must access the services online. The process thus shows that in a situation where viewers have limited or no bundles, then they cannot access the services at the time they need it, a circumstance which shall force them to miss the programs and various vital television programs. However, given that the broadcast television has no costs like that for internet bundles, then they still stand a chance to outdo the online television. The explanations thus give clear proof that the online television cannot out do the broadcast television easily especially when the concept of demand and supply in relation to price changes is taken into the equation (Quail & Christine, 2012).

In giving justification to these findings, the study on how the television fans become an active audience through online fan communities is revealed. During the study carried by Costello and Moore, they found that the audience watching television utilizes the internet to expand their television viewing experience. It also shows how the fans acquire the power to influence the production of their shows, a process which depicts and prove the television shows are exponentially influenced largely by online fan communities.

Even though the online televisions create a forum which can enable individual users to view the television at the right time and their convenience, there are various limitations which do not make the process simpler and possible among the viewers. Besides, there are some channels which cannot be viewed via mobile since in certain situations since there are no programs which can support such specifications. Besides, for the fans to watch televisions online, they must have phones supported by Android, a condition in which some fans without such phones cannot find an opportunity to view their televisions online. However, this is not applicable in the case of a live broadcast since the whole family can be able to view every channel without undergoing through various restrictions and eventualities which can hinder their viewing processes. Besides, even though online television is popular but it does not favor all the age brackets it is mostly used by the youths.

The usage of the broadcast television can be said to be common among the viewers as compared to the online television hence it cannot be underestimated. It is because it still has more benefits as compared to the costs. Therefore, even though most youths use their smartphones to watch the television programs quite often, a process which makes online television to be more popular, there is need not to ignore broadcast television since they have a wide coverage.