Kim Dotcom has been successful in insisting that his current trial can be viewed live on YouTube.
DotCom seems pleased with this outcome as he insists that when people realise the basis of the case against him they will support him.
He insists that MegaUpload was blindly storing copyright infringing material and as such should not be held responsible. In the same way that a man who makes or sells a knife or a car is not held responsible if that object is later used to break the law.
The analogy breaks down a bit as the servers remained under the control of MegaUpload whereas the other objects mentioned do not - but that is for another day.
However, when this case is settled we will be one step closer to understanding where liability rests online and the degree of responsibility a hosting company, or third party provider, must take. This is also relevant for data protection and the GDPR.
Arguably the means of distribution makes no difference to a consumer of content but even so the broadband internet seems to be confirming its place as the winner against conventional TV distribution.
It may be the ability to seamlessly access from any device (YouTube), the social interaction / network aspects or the nature of the material available. Zoella - the most popular Vlogger with 5-16 year olds has 10 million followers on YouTube - a dream audience for many small regional cable or satellite channels.
An example is here;
Children between the ages of 5-16 are spending 3 hours a day online against 2.1 hours in front of the TV. YouTube and NetFlix are the stand out winners with a blend of "normal" TV content and new formats.
Amusingly a number of terrified TV people have popped up in the media suggesting that traditional TV content is simply being viewed on the internet without acknowledging that internet content is now also being viewed on the TV.
If the consumer doesn't really care how the pictures get to them it is a very different matter for the media companies who create and deliver the content.
In the case of Zoella she needs decent video and audio equipment, some $100 editing software on a PC / laptop and a broadband connection. If really enthusiastic she can do the editing herself.
Creating this type of content in an old school TV environment you would need to get past the creative gatekeepers first, hire a studio, cameraman, editor etc etc etc - basically a non starter.
In the case of NetFlix going global was about adjusting some IP address ranges and extending the bandwidth / streaming agreements. The old school model would involve painful discussions on satellite time and securing decent slots on the EPG's controlled by others - many in the pocket of the existing dominant distributors.
Fundamentally to distribute content on the internet is far less capital intensive but also it is impossible to control distribution to the same degree which lessens the reality of exclusivity. There is also far less scope for intermediaries to take a cut along the way. These factors fundamentally change a number of old school business models and will drive the cord cutting and cord never figures.
The return of the turntable shows that old technologies do not die but change and find a very different place in the market.
These new figures from Childwise shows convergence has arrived and will follow 5-16 year old's into adulthood.
Technology clearly has its limits. When researching this piece and looking for a suitable image representing a "digital native" the stock photo library we use offered this good but rather irrelevant image. A world where humans are replaced by machines might have more laughs than we think.
To the point - Ofcom have released some new research which continues the tracking of the behaviour of the digital natives and some key points emerge;
12-15 year olds now spend 3.5 hours more per week online than watching TV. 15.5 hours for TV and 18.9 hours online.
Within that same group who watch both TV and YouTube a greater number now say they prefer YouTube to TV for the first time.
Whilst the spin on the report highlights that children trust the internet more than they should the substance of the report paints a picture of changed habits among the next generation that will make the traditional Pay TV model quite niche.
This possibly explains the new SkyQ ultra premium concept where a smallish group who are not price sensitive at all pay top dollar for an all you eat package while the bulk of the market take smaller pay as go type packages.
Into the mix will come YouTube Red (ad free subscription based), NetFlix etc etc and when the dust has settled the primarily linear pay tv model will be gone.
