Video iPod: A Threat to Podcasting and TV?

Posted on October 24, 2005

The new video iPod is receiving some positive reviews from around the blogosphere. Engadget has a list of the reviews.

The most interesting subject related to the new iPod are the questions being raised about whether it will threaten podcasting or television. BusinessWeek's Blogspotting raises the question but doesn't see a threat to podcasts.

And actually, I think podcasting or whatever it morphs into over the next two or three years is here to stay and will remain popular. What was interesting about podcasting was that, while everyone was waiting for digital video for so many years, kind of like waiting for Godot, podcasting arrived. And it tapped this latent demand for being able to hear what you wanted when you wanted it. It unleased all these indie voices and encouraged the traditional media companies to let their content go mobile.

The Wall Street Journal article discusses iPod video downloads threatening ABC stations. Om writes:

Like the record labels, television stations are now lamenting the iPod, and are worried about lost revenues, reports the Wall Street Journal. Shouldn't they be worrying about lost audiences, thanks to bad programing, instead of blaming the technology. I agree with Mark Cuban when he says, "Bob Iger has saved Network TV ... By completely changing the economic model." This is the new economic model that takes into account that most consumption patterns are changing, and media like everything has to fit our supremely busy lives.

Technology that allows people to view and transfer films and tv shows digitally is a threat to television and cable networks. It means the production companies can go directly to the users. People are not far from being able to selectively download or stream in the movies, music, podcasts and other information they want without having to tune into a specific channel or network.