Finally going to make another post on my site here. Jeez, I’m a terrible blogger. I took an extended break in an effort to make myself more positive.  I tend to use writing to vent and complain. I was tired of being a little whiner.

But I stopped writing, which is never good. It collapses your mind. I forgot. So, I return to discuss TV versus the Internet.

“Well, it’s good enough for Internet.”

I cannot tell you how annoyed I am by this statement. Can you believe people actually believe that? It’s the Internet, so I don’t have to try as hard. The quality doesn’t have to be as good because it is on the Internet. TV still reigns in the quality department…

That mentality could not be farther from the truth. What do you think the Internet is? Where do you think the Internet is going? You think it is just going to sit around and be something that exists in this world? That we casually look at from time to time?

Of course not! I don’t think anyone would agree to that. The Internet dominates our society. You think it is big now, just wait until it absolutely controls this world.  Just a matter of time.

More than 2 billion people use the Internet. That’s 30% of the world. 78% of North Americans are actively involved in the Internet.  Worldwide users have jumped by 480% in the last 10 years.*

To say it is a phenomenon is an understatement. What kind of content are these people viewing? Anything and everything! Including “television” programming. And now they are watching the Internet on their televisions! Many people turn to the web to catch up on their shows. Or see what they missed. Why? Because the Internet is on demand and instant, which is something television can never be (because it is “televised”).

People want control. They cannot control what comes on TV and at what time, but they can control the Internet. They select what they want to watch, when they want to watch it. Instantly. In a world spinning this fast, that means everything.  We want it now and do not stop us.  Not to mention, our ever-shortening attention span (which is either because of the Internet or meant for the Internet). Change it now, please.

There are countless channels of entertainment to keep us busy. There is way too much content. People have to be selective in what they want to watch. The Internet is flooded with video content. This is why “good enough for internet” is such a terrible idea.  Your quality has to be even better on the Internet than TV.

If it is not good, people can change to the competition. We can easily watch something else on demand. Sure, if something is bad on TV, you can change the channel. But you are still limited and have no control!

Why do you think so many companies are putting big money into the production of web-based media? They understand this.  They understand that the Internet is the future and television is dying. They understand that the quality has to be better than ever. That broadcast quality doesn’t apply anymore. That the window to a person’s mind is even narrower.

So, the challenge is creating well-produced, high quality, stimulating entertainment in a very short period of time. Attention spans last about two minutes. That’s all the time you have. Yes, this is expensive (in time and money), but that is all we have.

The best example of this is an online-only ad for Philips televisions. It was featured as part of an interactive Philips web site. The spot is a very complicated frozen time bank robbery involving clowns and police.  The time and resources spent were incredible (read about it here). It truly is a well-made film, and it won the Cannes Film Grand Prix. All for the Internet!

So, please do not make your web productions shotty claiming that it will be “good enough for the internet.” That idea is total bollocks.  Your production needs to be even better. Or I’m changing the channel.  As a former coworker once told me, “If you want to watch bad videos, you can go to YouTube.”

I could not agree more. With so much content out there, you need to be the best if you want people to care.

I do not think television is dead or will die soon. It will probably always exist as a medium. Someday, it will all be web-based and broadcast will die. The Internet is no different than any other form of media meant to captivate. Content is king and quality is always better than quantity.

Making of:

* http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm