scte long read
are clearly at an inflection point in the story of television, and you can sense the consternation about the direction of travel. As is the case in so many industries, the Technology Revolution, the Internet and the introduction of AI has accelerated progress but has arguably created as many problems as it has solved. We have never had so much choice; the picture on our screens has never been better, and in an era of rolling news we are better informed than ever before, but the impact on programming quality, career opportunity, legacy, community, truth and democracy we are only just beginning to unravel. Curved TVs and remote controls on a wire are behind us now and we can laugh at the funny turns the evolution has taken over the years; we’ve been dazzled by the offering on our huge flatscreen TVs, laptops and mobiles without really peering at the consequences of all this tech and all this information. Amara’s Law, which we heard about in our interview with Stephen Nuttall of IBC elsewhere in this issue, states that ‘We tend to overestimate the effects of a technology in the short term and underestimate the effect in the long term.’ We are enough of the way into the Technology Revolution now to say with some confidence, Amara was right.
But Richard Lindsay-Davies is optimistic. “One of the big advantages of moving everyone to IP eventually, or enabling IP in everyone’s home, is that things like digital social care, healthcare, wellbeing, social connectivity, all those things become easier. We don’t solve it with television, but if we’ve at least got a connection in the home and we’ve got some digital capability there in the TV, it provides access to a doctor online.” But he was equally realistic. “Let’s not kid ourselves, we’re not going to survive as television if we don’t embrace similar business models that brands buy into for targeting and data-driven advertising,” Richard smiles. “But the trick for us is to make sure that we don’t lose our moral compass or our brand essence of television.” A last word from the BBC; Phil Layton is Head of Applied Research for Media at BBC Research & Development and he’s clearly looking forward to the future. “We are entering a world defined by cloud based software workflows. Almost anything can be done once we are freed from hardware based, relatively inflexible, workflows. We are entering an exciting period where the distribution system isn’t a barrier to new formats. It almost becomes a question of what can’t be done. Having said that I think many aspects come 2040 will still be familiar; TV has been a very resilient format.’ As we celebrate 100 years of television, we can look back with great pride on what’s been achieved creatively and technically, the output and talent in front of the cameras and behind them. We
And the future? What does the future for television hold? Opportunity, no doubt; for the agile in the industry, there will be plenty. For audiences, even more choice, undoubtedly. But in a fragmented market, with budgets being slashed, emotions running high amid a febrile political landscape, finding consensus is increasingly difficult. Generational issues of the Baby Boomer/Gen X kind are impeding progress; a lack of vision, failure to exploit opportunity, resistance to change, as well as ‘the general uselessness of many of the higher echelons of UK broadcasting and the continuance of favours/jobs for mates and creative inertia,” as one jaded industry expert described it. According to Stephen Arnell, a broadcast consultant, formerly Head of Strategy at ITV, terrestrial television will survive, in an increasingly desiccated form for another decade, but it will have to coalesce into Public Service and Commercial programming. While the licence fee continues to dominate discussion there are other pressing matters, some of which we’ve covered here, others will have to wait for another Long Read. Digital exclusion, balancing commercial needs with public service broadcasting values, managing the transition without losing television’s accessible, familiar nature, technical challenges like latency and service reliability during peak usage, maintaining technical standards, ensuring legacy is protected are all areas that will be looked at in detail over the coming nine years.
22
SEPTEMBER 2025 Volume 47 No.3
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker