The Future of Television: Cable, or the Internet?

The+Future+of+Television%3A+Cable%2C+or+the+Internet%3F

Hailey Krasnikov, Staff Writer

Netflix, YouTube, Hulu -these are the brand names known names for video streaming options. Normal cable television is basically ignored when talking about television, at all. So I leave you with this question, is the internet causing television programming to go extinct?

For example, what’s the show everyone is talking about, that’s on Netflix, and we recently ran an article about it? You guessed it! Stranger Things! While Stranger Things getting a second season is well known and talked about, what you might not have heard is that a senior from Shaker High School participated on The Voice before she was sadly eliminated 2 weeks ago.

The Voice is a show on NBC, one of the original American television networks. While Stranger Things is a Netflix based show that’s fairly new seeing that is it only on its second season.

Overall you usually hear about the newest Netflix show, rather than a new television show. Although Disney and Nickelodeon will most likely keep their branding through other outlets or will eventually partner with Netflix.

Usually The Voice gets 8 to 10 million views a night, while Stranger Things gained about 15 to 16 million views on its first episode after only 3 days.  While The Voice has higher numbers so far, it is on its 13th season, however Stranger Things is only beginning its 2nd. This shows the potential of the individual show, not even including the increasing popularity of the internet.

Further more, we see shows transferring to Netflix, like The Fosters, which could be the only hope for these shows and could benefit both Netflix and the show. Netflix gets more content for viewers, while the show could attract viewers who would like to watch the show in real time after viewing it on Netflix.

Netflix and YouTube support each other and add to each other’s success. YouTubers like Colleen Ballinger, have created their own shows. This has YouTube fans coming to Netflix to support their favorite creators. Creators on the other hand get to expand their brand to larger audiences.

Old television shows that are not on television anymore are streamed on Netflix, such as The Office. This allows fans to still watch their favorite shows that aren’t around, which is a reason Netflix is so popular.

Netflix is also convenient for many people to watch, they can watch episodes on their own schedule. Television is based on a schedule and people can be busy with other things at those times. However, on Netflix they can watch whenever they want, and as much as they want, while on regular television programming viewers are limited to one episode most of the time. A popular trend people enjoy doing with Netflix is “binging” episodes, seasons, or whole shows. Netflix has become a perfect activity to do on a lazy Sunday, or any day in general honestly.

 The era of the internet continues to evolve and no one knows the fate of the original programming, especially with smart televisions becoming popular.