Compared to the music and news industries, the television business has so far managed to avoid having its apple cart turned over by the Internet.
That is about to change as new technologies give viewers more say over what they watch and when they watch.
The following moves illustrate the extent to which Internet TV is going mainstream right before our online eyes
The television shows “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” have begun their second life as Internet-only shows on Hulu and iTunes.
Netflix now has more American subscribers than HBO.
Amazon plans to roll out a TV box dedicated to streaming video over the Internet to compete with Roku, Apple TV and others. The e-commerce giant has already pushed into the Internet business by delivering original programming directly online.
YouTube pumped $100 million into creation of their own original channels for professional video content.
And Nielsen has announced that it is finally venturing into the measurement of online TV.
Remaking Christian TV
The Internet is going to remake television as thoroughly as it already has the newspaper and music industries, and that includes Christian television. The realization of change is dawning on a lot of people in the industry.
So what does the Christian TV industry look like in the next five to ten years?
The distinction between “TV” and other forms of video content will disappear. Faith-based video will join other types of video pervading content streams to a much greater degree. As a result, we could see people move from being “people of the book” toward becoming “people of the screen.”
The traditional Christian “network” model is likely to break down and be replaced with “libraries” of content and far more efficient content production, acquisition, and distribution. New business models will arise.
This shift will require new video skills in almost all types of jobs in every sector of Christian Media. As video joins audio and text as a default mode of communicating the gospel, Christian media will need a new generation of workers who know how to produce, edit, and transfer information via video, including recording and real-time video communication.
The transition of Christian TV to the Internet may be rough on some established networks and content owners, but it will be a huge opportunity for developers.
Developing 21st century strategies
Organizations that embrace the accelerated change will be able to develop strategies for resiliency and lead the Christian Media industry into a new era of media, possibly expanding the definition — just as the introduction of radio, film and television did for Christian Media in the 20th century.
The Internet removes a significant obstacle faced by traditional Christian TV programming approaches; audiences will be able to watch Christ-focused content any time and, with the right technology, any place.
That flexibility opens up a whole new world of potential viewers to the role of the Bible in life and the wonderful possibility and potential of salvation.
Now that’s really upsetting the apple cart, in Jesus name.