Television is one of the largest used forms of entertainment. It came about for the majority of American households in the 1950s and it completely bombarded the entertainment industry and changed it completely. The big boxes with the tiny screens made household entertainment enter a whole new level. Adults could enjoy their nightly news and soap operas, and the children could look forward to sitting down to watch Mickey Mouse Club and the popular cowboy shows. People could now stay at home to be entertained, and it was a massive hit! 

How It Has Changed

As the types of shows increased and then came the introduction of color TV, with much smaller boxes and bigger screens. Consumers sure did embrace this entertainment phenomenon of bringing the outside world into their homes. More and more channels being added and so many options to choose from. 

The introduction of cable TV was the next big thing to happen in this industry. For one monthly fee, consumers of entertainment could drastically widen their entertainment choices. Whether they enjoyed reality TV, game shows, sports, movies, and much more, the choices were outstanding. Cable TV drastically change lives of million American on how they watch movies and increase family bonding. Statistics also show how  people use their time whenever they watch TV,  what networks usually people watch, increase of daily tv consumption in the United States, and other facts that really prove that cable tv really changed entertainment.

As technology has advanced, the entertainment industry has continued to transform and go alongside the advancements. Cables wires and dishes are still extremely popular with many households using popular providers like Virgin and Sky for their TV entertainment needs. And as technology has transformed so has the way people access their household entertainment They are still very much using TVs but are now also watching TV on the move. Nearly fifty percent fo households are now supplementing their TV services or even replacing them completely with pay-for-services that allow you to stream your entertainment. Providers like Netflix, NowTV, PrimeVideo, and Hulu are some of the most popular, however, there isn’t a shortage. 

Using Mobile Devices

More and more people are now using their mobile devices to stream while they are on the go as well as using sites like the Lotterycodex and various apps alongside some of their favorite shows. People are now spending around  $2 billion monthly for live streaming video service. They are using this both while they are out and about, and at home. Considering the main sets of people that are starting to use these services are the Millennials, Generation X, and Generation Z, it’s no surprise the amount of money been spent is so high. This is a huge combination of demographics. You will find that people have several different subscriptions so they are able to access all the content they need/want. 

The Struggle For Cable And Satellite Companies

Consumers can now choose to receive and pay for the parts of entertainment that they really want. Whether its live shows, TV programs, music, podcasts, etc kind of like a pick ‘n’ mix. This poses a really big problem and challenge for traditional cable and satellite companies. If they are going to choose to only offer packages that are preset with many TV channels that subscribers don’t want then they are going to run into issues. In fact, it’s not uncommon for a user to have their TV packages just because it’s bundled with their home phone and broadband services. It can even be cheaper to have the TV package include with your broadband than just the internet services on their own. However, this could all change and become a thing of the past. With the introduction of 5G, internet services are becoming far much available. 

These service providers are therefore going to have to think of new ways to engage with their customers and find ways to be more personalized and flexible on the packages that are on offer. Some TV service providers have started to offer a streaming service that is free because their consumers already pay for TV services. It enables the user to access the TV guide, record programs from their phone or tablet, and watch movies and shows they have recorded. 

The future of these services could include: 

• More relevant up-sells or cross-sells based on the ways a user watches or their preferences. 
• Be able to make relevant and personalized content or channel suggestions. Similar to Netflix. 
• Be able to automatically assess which package/streaming combos is suited to the customer. 

Smart-TV’s

Smart-TV’s are now in more and more homes. In fact, when people are purchasing a new TV, they are almost certainly opting for a Smart one. The amount of households that have one is already significant, but it is expected that this number is only going to continue to rapidly grow. 

Even your regular TV can be upgraded to be made smart by using a smart TV stick, which was made popular by the Amazon Fire TV stick. These are very popular, to the point that last Christmas they were more popular than a tablet. 

This is something that is surely only going to push more and more people into using subscription streaming services instead of cable too? 

Voice Technology 

This is still relatively new, although we have seen it on an iPhone for quite some time. With the introduction of tools like Alexa, it’s understandable that this voice technology is only going to continue to rise. If a consumer wants ot listen to certain songs, know an answer to the question or play last night episode of their favorite show, all they need to do is ask and it happens. This technology is now even used for this like lights, heating, and security systems. 

It’s only natural that more consumers will gravitate towards using smart home devices and streaming services especially as they work so well together. S voice interaction with technology grows in popularity there is no telling where this technology could take the way we access entertainment. This will also introduce a problem for the streaming services, who will need to ensure they stay cost effective as well as introducing plenty of interactions with voice assistants. 

The transformation that is still happening in the entertainment industry because technology is still only just beginning. There will be plenty more on offer in the future.