I was struck by the significance of a news article, that the Monty Python team have launched their own YouTube channel, saying they’re tired of being “ripped off” by YouTubers. Here you have a creative team that first start producing content in the 1970s, moving to adopt a new channel — YouTube.
On the same day, there was an article about NZ On Air’s research report, the Digital Future and Public Broadcasting, stating that more than half of New Zealanders now watch digital TV.
Report author Paul Norris of Christchurch Polytechnic’s broadcasting school was quoted as saying:
“We suggest that public broadcasters follow the fragmenting audience and disperse their programmes over as many platforms as possible”
Deja vu!! If you work for a government agency that still has to support telex, you will understand the maxim: “There are never less channels, only more.” Agencies are struggling with the challenge of maintaining economies of scale, as their audiences fragment over new and existing communication channels.
But what really struck me, was the feeling that the convergence of broadcasting, communications and information is nearly here.
The policy issues that are emerging are very similar. As an example, the NZ On Air report goes on to say:
The broad policy to meet the challenge of fragmenting audiences must be the same as that for all public broadcasters – a policy of dispersal. Content of public value must be distributed across all conceivable platforms. Follow the audience…
An updated public service communication principle might be put this way: that in the digital age, all publicly-funded content should be addressable, reusable, and capable of being reversioned or even mashed.
Deja vu!! We are having the very same conversations about government data / information.
In the UK they have set up a Convergence Think Tank to examine the implications of technological development for the media and communications industries, and the consequences for both markets and consumers, reporting back in early 2009.
I think we (NZers) also need to be thinking about the topic, and start having discussions to help shape our future policy development in relation to these sectors, which include TV, radio, mobile and fixed telecoms and online services.
