Technology is a dynamic field. It introduces newer concepts, variations, and innovation, which ultimately drive out previous iterations. This behavior touches the television industry, as well. Television has been around for over half a century, now. It replaced radio and print media upon its arrival and transported viewers into the world of video programming. Television has dominated the entertainment sphere since then and has become a cultural icon. Even today, no home is complete without a TV set and a subscription to the top TV providers like Cox cable. Thus, we can say that television is a token, which has been handed down the generations and has garnered a collective experience shared by all.

Yet, television and its reign are being challenged by the latest modes of television technology, such as streaming TV in the current era. Streaming TV has been gathering momentum for the past decade, by presenting a revolutionary way of watching TV on the internet. As a result, quite a large share of consumer households have taken an interest in the numerous benefits of streaming television, and a few have gone so far as to abandon their traditional TV. Is this the end for TV? Are you no longer required to purchase a TV set when you can stream content on the go? This article argues otherwise.

Television is not backing down or willing to bite the dust, as other forms of technology have over the years. It is as resilient as even in the face of technological evolution. Let’s learn how.

Integration of Streaming into Television

It would be foolish to deny the rising importance of streaming TV. The trend is here and it is going to stay. Streaming TV has already converted a significant percentage of viewers and taken them over to its domain. So, instead of sticking to their traditional modalities in the shadow of this threat, TV giants have decided to inculcate the competition into their offerings, in order to provide a dual-entertainment experience and to make the customers stay. This comes in the shape of streaming integration into TV boxes.

Many television providers have successfully added the most popular streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime in their set-top boxes. These boxes are tuned to connect to the in-home internet and the cable TV line at the same time, thus, distributing the regular programming and streaming TV facility simultaneously. All you have to do is open the Netflix app from the menu using your remote control, sign in to your account, and watch it whenever you want on your large-screen display, while also enjoying the broadcast of your favorite channels.

Television Broadcasters and Exclusive Content

One of the winning attributes of streaming TV is that it offers exclusive content to viewers. This includes Original TV shows and movies, which you can only watch by subscribing to a particular streaming service. This exclusivity feeds into the people’s “Fear Of Missing Out” or FOMO, thus, impelling them to sign up for video-on-demand streaming. Seeing this deep effect on viewers’ psyche, television broadcasters and mega-networks have also hopped on the bandwagon of launching their own versions of streaming services, creating a tough competition for Netflix and other streaming founders.

Take HBO Max, for instance. It is the flagship streaming service of WarnerMedia, which owns and operates all the HBO channels on traditional TV. HBO Max provides all the classic favorites, hit movies and its exclusive Originals, which you can stream to no end. Many television providers also include HBO Max in their TV packages, free of cost, to stir the interest of viewers. Thus, television counters streaming by beating it at its own game, coming out more resilient than ever.

Digital Media Accessibility on Mobile

Smartphones are tiny screens, powered by advanced computing chips and cores. They are internet-enabled, allowing you to head online and use mobile applications, no matter where you are, as long you are in the reach of an internet signal. Another amazing feature of streaming services is that they make their content mobile-friendly, which fulfills the pressing need of viewers to access their entertainment anytime and anywhere. Television doesn’t hold back, even in this area.

Yes, multiple TV providers have rolled out TV apps of their own, which list the subscribed channel lineups and network programming from top TV channels. These apps are free to download on your mobile devices and can be found on both Google Play Store and iTunes. Once the download is complete, all you have to do is sign into your TV service account and start streaming your TV lineup, On Demand titles, live TV programs, and DVR recordings on the go. Thus, by bringing TV on mobile, television providers have made entertainment portable and universal.

Linear Television Still Preferred to VoD

Video-on-Demand services accumulate the best streaming content in their libraries, which viewers can pick and choose as per their mood and liking. Seasons upon seasons of TV shows are available to stream in one sitting on these platforms. Though this type of content delivery has made some pretty huge waves among the younger viewing community, the older generation still prefers to watch broadcast programming, because of the live TV content like sports, news, and event coverage, which streaming TV misses out on.

Excessive Diversity Driving Consumers Back to Simpler TV

According to a recent survey by Publicis Media, 67% of the viewers have a hard time deciding what to watch on streaming TV, and about 56% of them feel overwhelmed by the excessiveness of options available at their disposal. This is the negative effect of streaming saturation. It makes the viewers indecisive and feel bloated by the onslaught of too many streaming services. So, what happens at this point is a reversal of taste. People feel inclined to go back to the simpler times of broadcast TV programming, which gave them limited options to get enjoyment out of, and thus, a lesser hassle. This shows how, even by falling behind, TV remains a popular choice among the masses.

Wrapping Up

As the aforementioned points prove, television is nowhere near its end. It persists through the competition, and technological evolution, and continues to hold favor among a majority of TV viewers.