Problems with the take up of Digital TV

This article (click on title above) neatly summarises just one of the problems surrounding the launch of Digital TV - lack of awareness, especially amongst older audiences. If you haven't converted by now, you should - the government will begin to switch off the analogue signal in 2008.

The Death of TV Advertising?

The Media Guardian has another great report on the future of advertising and traditional TV doesn't look likely to have a very big place within it. It discusses all the reasons for TV advertising decreasing effectiveness. These include the fact that under 25s are spending more time on the internet than watching TV and the increasing popularity of PVRs (TiVO and Sky+), which allow you to skip the ads and just watch your programme. However, TV is fighting back. KFC have launched an ad that encourages viewers with PVRs to slow down rather than fast forward ads. If they do so they get to see special offers others can't. Will this work? Is it a Sisyphean effort (look up Sisyphus)? You decide.... Go and read the article, it's really comprehensive and is structured almost like an exam essay should be.

BBC and Digital TV

Sir Christopher Bland, former chairman of the BBC, says that is unfair that the BBC should have to use the licence fee to help promote digital television to the masses. This is important in relation to how new media technologies are adopted by the audience and how institutions encourage their take-up.

Digital TV - what's in it for the Institutions?

It's from 2004 but the BBC News site has a good article on the launch of Sky's free to view digital service. It provides a decent if brief history of subscription TV and hints at how Digital provides a new way for institutions like Sky to increase their customer base.