I came across this video today of someone’s suggestion for CBC. In a nutshell: stop broadcasting on TV and move entirely online.
While I love this idea and think it’s perfectly the right direction for any television studio or network to go, I can’t help thinking about rural Canada’s under served Internet service. It’s 2012 now and there are lots of places in Canada still using dial-up because the monopolies deem it too expensive to bring broadband. Even where I live —a hop, skip and jump away from Toronto— I can only get 3Mbps on a good day.
However, fortunately, digital media doesn’t only mean live streaming Hockey Night In Canada. There is a wealth of possibilities to take advantage of: apps, games, video digest clips, buffers, you name it (but proper broadband would be nice).
This idea of CBC TV going totally digital reminds me alot of the Al-Jazeera English channel’s use of Youtube to connect with viewers (started up by a former CBC head honcho). Particularly, their show, The Stream.
CBC Radio has done a great job in embracing digital media in recent years. From posting videos of their radio shows like Q to fully integrating social media like my favourite show, Spark.
The video above is part of a national, grassroots campaign of CBC TV fans brainstorming ideas.
Great post! You also raise a very good point – accessibility. Not just people who live remotely and do not have access, but also people who simply can not afford to pay high internet prices. Thanks for sharing :)
Thanks! Canada has such great talent in the entertainment and arts industry. I think going digital would make things more accessible to new talent.