Will online videos, such as on YouTube, really detract from free-to-air television viewing?

this is just a bit of a rough draft i'm working on to put up on our project website.

At the moment, we are in a time of great uncertainty over the future relationship between YouTube and television networks. Australian television network Ten has claimed YouTube should be welcomed “as allies rather than being treated as the enemy in the emerging online video battle” (article 12) Channel Ten has taken initiative with the online arena in encouraging viewers to interact with the network both through broadcast AND online, for example Big Brother and The Biggest Loser. Channel Ten’s standpoint is the internet can be used as a source to garner attention of their television shows and draw viewers to watching the broadcast. In terms of Australian television productions, they are aired first through broadcast, and those who watch it later on YouTube are either unavailable to watch the show at the certain time or wouldn’t watch it anyway televised, so not a substanial amount of viewers are being lost. Unless television networks allow episodes to be available outside of one broadcast time, and preferably without cost, will viewers actually partake in seeking television shows through the station.

A successful mission Channel Ten has taken in using YouTube as a viable resource for viewing their shows is uploading comedy hit “Thank God You’re Here” with sponsorship announcements at the start and finish of uploaded clips. The sponsorship is short enough to endure without skipping over and isn’t worth someone uploading the clips without them, with enough skits provided by channel Ten for it to not be necessary for any more clips without sponsorship to be provided.

In terms of the short term future of Australian television networks losing audience due to YouTube or the internet in general, digital general manager of Ten Damian Smith states, “I don’t think it’s going to change in Australia tomorrow. There are a whole lot of reasons that things move a little bit slower here, most notably broadband speeds and penetration”.

Even programmes such as ABC’s “Chaser’s War on Everything”
-is a show where, it grew such a cult following on the internet, as it was so badly time placed on Friday nights, when its target audience, the youth, was out on Friday nights. Now that its on Wednesday nights it’s a ratings hit.

However, that’s not to completely undermine the reality that yes, people are tuning into YouTube to watch their television shows over sitting in front of the telly to watch an episode in its entirety, with advertisements. Even if the television broadcast may be the first airing of the episode, there is not as big a drive for audiences to tune in

blah this is all i can do right now without making my head explode. Shall expand soon!