Michael Jackson's memorial service will test the limits of online video
News of Michael Jackson's death last month nearly shut down the Internets with interest and confusion as people went online to check and discuss the news. Today is the pop singer's memorial service in Los Angeles and online news channels and video hubs are preparing for similar levels of traffic.
Everyone - from the BBC to USA Today and MySpace - is planning to live stream the service, which is today at 10:00 PST at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. If viewer interest comes anywhere near the level expected by these sites, the whole Internet might shut down. Alternately, it could illustrate the potential of online video left untouched by profit motives.
First landlines, now TV and DVDs
For the past several years, telcos have looked on in horror as their cell phone owning subscribers - particularly younger ones - decided landlines are purely optional. Inevitably consumers are making the same shift with their television and DVD viewing habits.
No one has the exact figures, but it's estimated some 1.1 percent of US households are TV-free, some one percent of the market. Certainly the current economic climate isn't helping as consumers look for ways to pare down their monthly expenses. Electricity may be mandatory - but cable, satellite and daily newspaper delivery? You can get all that stuff free online.
As viewers shift to YouTube, Hulu, and streaming services offered by television networks, not to mention streaming video provided by the leading online DVD rental companies such as Netflix, global entertainment conglomerates such as Disney and Time Warner are seeing an impact to their bottom lines that will likely last well beyond the current economic climate.
The inauguration of Barack Obama by the numbers
The inauguration of Barack Obama was more than just another big media event.
Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum and regardless of where you live, President Obama's inauguration was an historic moment for the internet.
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Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
