| Abstract [eng] |
Television is undergoing a paradigm shift. An increasing number of TV viewers are tuning in alternative television viewing platforms. A couple of years ago television networks rolled out their online catch-up television platforms, video on demand services or started broadcasting live on the web. Internet television is gaining critical mass and audience acceptance. In 2011 in Europe alone more than 20 million television sets with internet access will be bought by consumers, more than 7 percent of households in the United Kingdom are already equipped with an internet-enabled TV. Television broadcasters have to adapt their content offerings and business models in order to satisfy demands of audiences and adjust to the changing television market. This paper discusses the habits and needs of audiences in the new multimedia era. In the context of this paper, multimedia is used to describe the distribution of digital content for viewing on multiple platforms, to be accessed by various devices. The term unites concepts of interactivity and serving audiences on multiple platforms. The object of this paper is online distribution of television content. This paper aims to examine, how television broadcasters are adapting to the evolving needs of television audiences. The needs of television audience in multimedia era could be summarized into three categories: • Watch when I want. In digital era television shifted from appointment to on-demand viewing. • Watch how I want. This concept signifies the ability to watch television content on multiple devices and platforms. • Watch what I want. Internet opens up users to a wider selection of content. The first part of the paper discusses habitual changes in television audiences in USA and United Kingdom, as well as main commercial challenges, threats and opportunities facing the television broadcasters in multimedia era. It then analyses the specifics of online television audiences in Lithuania. Authors of this paper conducted a survey of 351 online television viewers on one of the most popular internet television website 15min.lt/tv. The viewers were asked about their online and traditional TV habits, as well as their views towards paid online TV services. The majority of online TV users in Lithuania are younger than 30, live in three largest cities and are high school or university students by occupation. A large part of survey participants did not have a TV set (although 99 percent of households in Lithuania are equipped with them) and were using online TV as a substitute for traditional television. After identifying the needs of audiences, we conducted a research on online television platforms in Lithuania and neighboring countries (Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Belarus) to find out, whether they meet them. Different countries have been chosen in order to compare the development of online television in the regional context. The platforms in different countries denote three different speeds of online TV development: broadcasters in Belarus are only beginning to experiment with internet medium, televisions in the Baltic states are starting to monetize online content, while TV networks in Poland have fully developed commercial platforms, with live channel streaming, large catch-up and video on demand archives, as well as pay-per-view services. The conclusions of this paper give insights on audience habits and needs in the multimedia era and offer practical advice on the development of internet television services. |
