Comm disc ***PRofessor Anthony ONLY***

Robert:

A) Is there any value left in the big-screen movie experience?

If you measure value by the ticket sales and what the movie grosses in theatres, then yes, there is still value left in the big screen movie experience. Box office hits continue to challenge movies of the past in what they gross in ticket sales (IMDb, 2016). If you measure value by the nostalgia of leaving the house; ordering your popcorn, soda, and maybe sneaking in a personal beverage of your own and then sharing the movie with strangers in a semi comfortable chair, that is all in the eye of the beholder. I appreciate on the rare occasion of escaping on a date night and enjoying the big screen movie experience.

B) Will online streaming video overtake the other motion-medias? Why or why not?

Online streaming has the potential to overtake other motion media. According to a survey from a consulting firm Deloitte, 56% of those surveyed now stream movies on a monthly basis. 72% of Millennials surveyed cited “streaming video as one of the most valuable services versus 58% who said the same for pay TV” (Spangler, 2015).

C) How can broadcast television change to remain competitive and can you cite any examples of programming changes that they have made to do so already? How does "free content" in television play into this?

With media experiencing a shift to using internet as a platform of the future, television network need to engage with the internet at a medium. Currently networks are already shifting to using the internet and streaming to reach its audience (Pisharody, 2013). A example would be the online and live streaming coverage of the 2016 Olympics in Rio by NBC.

D) After reading "21st Century Commuication: A Reference Handbook: Chapter 96: Radio and Television Programming," explain how cable TV was instrumental in leading to greater demassification (look it up if you don't know what it means) of media content.

In the 1980’s cable TV was able to broadcast a wide range of channels through use of satellites for programs like HBO, ESPN, Showtime, CNN, etc…Cable TV was also instrumental in changing media content by allowing programming directors to target niche audiences with multiple channels, versus having to target a wide range of views as broadcast networks had to do. This led to the FCC abolishing the fin-syn and allowing broadcast network to producing their own programing. (Gross, 2009)

Bibliography

Gross, L. S. (2009). Radio and Television Programming. In W. F. Eadie (Ed.), 21st Century Communication: A Reference Handbook (pp. 868-876). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412964005.n96

IMDb. (2016, September 7). All Time Box Office. Retrieved from Box Office Mojo: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic.htm

Pisharody, A. (2013, May). The Future of Television: Will broadcast and cable television networks survive the emergence of online streaming? New York: Leonard N. Stern School of Business. Retrieved from http://www.stern.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/assets/documents/con_042968.pdf

Spangler, T. (2015, April 22). Streaming Overtakes Live TV Among Consumer Viewing Preferences: Study. Retrieved from Variety: http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/streaming-overtakes-live-tv-among-consumer-viewing-preferences-study-1201477318/

William:

A).  I feel that there is some value left in the movie theater experience.  Most movies are made and produced to be viewed on the big screen.. Because of that formatting, and the fact that most people don't have the option to put a ten foot high by 100 foot wide (guessing the dimensions) screen in their house, you wouldn't get to "enjoy" the movie as the director intended it.  It also allows for an escape from day to day life, a luxury to reward yourself.

B).  I don't know if online streaming will ever overtake  other medias.  I think it will definitely be a market for big screen movies to battle with.  Because of my reasoning in the first question I think there will always be a big screen venue, but I also think that more and more movies will come out formatted for the small screen of a computer of television.  Once the movie industry figures out a way to make streaming movies as profitable as opening weekend at the box office you will see the decline of big screen theaters.

C).  Broadcast television is the back bone of your day to day media viewers.  To keep up with the times what I have seen is that shows are being supplemented online with extra content and "sneak peeks".  A lot of the shows I watch you can see "on demand" on the networks website.  They have tailored their broadcasting to be not just on the television, but online or via some sort of mobile app.

D).  In the 1970's television started to expand from the three or so major networks and branched out to cater to different markets.  There was more to choose from and viewers weren't locked into the standard television line-up as they were used to prior to this expansion.  Fast forward to today with cable/satellite television, a viewer can pick and choose which channel packages they want to view, order shows that aren't in their subscription and generally have more control over what they view .

Referrences

Eadie, W. F. (Ed.). (2009). 21st century communication: a reference handbook. Sage Publications.