I think I’ve fallen out of love with broadcasts.
There. I’ve said it. It’s painful to admit, I know, but it’s the honest truth. My 32 inch HD ready TV sits languishing in the corner of the lounge, gathering dust aside from the occasional visit to the XBox or DVD player. My radio hasn’t been switched on since… well.. come to think of it I don’t even know where it is. I haven’t had premium TV such as Sky or Virgin Media in two years, nor do I feel compelled to get one.
It’s the same story with newspapers. I used to religiously read one during my morning commute. I’d pick up a copy of the Times if I was after something to read on the way in to work, or the Evening standard if I wanted to catch up with news on the way back. I always used to focus on the same three sections: world news, business news and technology. The sports supplement would usually be discarded if there was no mention of Rugby or Formula 1, which was most occasions. Nowadays, I don’t even bother with reading the freebie Metro.
That’s not to say I don’t like the broadcast media industry. I think that there are some incredibly creative people there, who produce some very good quality work and understand their businesses and markets very well. I think that they work hard at what they do and deserve credit – and reward – for it. I’m in no way saying I want something for free – on the contrary, I want to spend money on it. I guess it’s the model of broadcasting itself that I’m no longer a fan of.
It’s tragic in it’s own way – technologies and mediums which once dominated my life now lie dormant, while others have taken their place. I get a collection of podcasts delivered to my iPhone every morning. I pull down the latest news articles, find out what people are chattering about on Twitter and check my email inbox for alerts. I don’t feel any less informed – in fact sometimes I feel that the amount of information I have is still too much – so why should I worry?
The trouble is, there are certain bits of mainstream media that I miss. Some of them are particular shows such as US crime drama, sci-fi series and so on. Some of it is the opinion and comment that I used to listen to, not so much for guidance on how to think but for the chance to examine their argument and try to counter it. I miss the opinion articles from newspapers for much the same reason. I think social media has largely made up for and replaced the 2nd item – the interactivity of it means that people can really engage with your opinions much more meaningfully than before.
So where does that leave me with the mainstream media? I mean, I still want bits of what they have to offer, it’s just that I’m not sure I agree with how they want to charge me for it. I guess it’s to do with the way it’s all packaged together – news is bundled together with comment, sport is bundled together with business, and X Factor is bundled with Top Gear. The stuff I want is lumped together with a large amount of stuff I don’t want, which makes me feel like I don’t get value for money. On top of that I’ve got to make sure I’m there to consume it when it’s being broadcast, otherwise I’m likely to miss out. Yes, I know that there’s iPlayer and Sky Plus, but one doesn’t contain all the content that’s broadcast and the other costs extra on top of a regular subscription (Plus my landlord won’t let me have a dish, but that’s another story).
So far this must have sounded like a full-on wingefest against mainstream media, but I do feel that they still have an important role to play. I’m not afraid of giving them my hard-earned cash as long as I’m getting the kind of service I’d like to have. If I’m taking out a contract with you, I have to feel that all the elements that make up the service you offer me are of value.
I should be clear, I don’t want to turn to torrents. They’re a hassle to set up, there’s risks attached unless you set them up very carefully and the results can be hugely variable. I’d rather have something else that worked for me, but had the breadth of content that I’d really go for. It’s also got to be reasonably priced – as an example iTunes wants £50 for the entire current season of House MD or £2.50 per episode, which makes little sense to me. I’d rather pay something much lower and get a “x number of watches” deal before buying it on Blu-ray later on. I’d also want to watch it on the device of my choosing – something like either my laptop, a DLNA/UPNP box if I splash out on one or similar. Instead of offering me variations on a bundle theme, offer me real pick-n-mix. Bundle in different ways – prepay more, get more show credits, that kind of thing.
I’m left with a question – am I asking too much from all of this, am I being unreasonable here? Is it strange of me to want mainstream media to change from being a broadcaster to a widecaster, helping me discover both popular and niche content in a variety of formats? Am I strange in wanting to pay them money to do this, and should just go for the freebies while I can? Is there another way of doing this, or a service already available that I don’t know about?
All I know is that I have cash in my pocket ready to splash out on the right kind of service. Of course, a market of one is probably no market at all…