The internet - a broadcasting force to be reckoned with

Over the past few years I've had to make some important financial decisions. Basically if I wanted anything nice in life - a house, a reliable car, etc... then I would have to sacrifice the things that I "didn't really need." It's easier said than done of course. I've never really been up with new technology.... I waited as long as humanly possible (at least in my line of work) to get a cell phone. I finally caved in in 2005. The only technological advances that I felt I couldn't do without, were cable and the internet. Well about a year ago we bought our first home, and cable and the internet were a thing of the past. I weened myself off of cable because of necessity, and learned that it's really not so bad after all. The internet I still had attachments to at work, so I never really got that out of my system.

Well what I'm beginning to discover is that the internet is quickly taking over as the most popular medium of all. You can read, watch and learn about everything on the internet. There's all kinds of informational websites that no longer just provide copy you can read, but pictures, slideshows, videos, etc...
What's most intriguing to me is what I've seen happen over the past couple of years. Almost all television networks are now repeating their shows on the internet. You can watch complete episodes of your favorite shows, with limited commercial interruption. You can even watch those that only appear on cable...for free... on your computer screen.
Of course you have to wait a week or two for them to go up on the web, but hey, you don't really know the difference anyway, right?

I know all of this business is becoming a big deal for the networks, and for those who work for them. It's a big part of what's taking place with the writers' strike. Some experts predict that this new media - the downloads and streaming video on the internet- will one day replace home videos and even some television broadcasts. The writers are concerned that if they don't take a stand now, that the residuals they're getting from re-runs and dvd sales will disappear as the broadcasting venue shifts to the internet.

So what's your take on this issue? Do you think cable television is a necessity? Do you think the internet will take over when it comes to distributing content? I can see year by year how broadcasting is shifting in that direction. I'm sure there will always be television news programs and print media...but I think maybe all of the internet predictions my professors made in college...may one day soon, come to pass.

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