IBM Declares TV "As We Know It" Dead by 2012

IBM's Institute for Business Value has released a study reflecting what most new-media experts have been saying for some time: that a fragmented marketplace combined with more tools for interactivity will lead to "the end of TV as we know it."

The IBM analysts predict that the television audience will cleave into two main segments within the next several years. The "passive mass audience" -- those who view TV in the traditional sense -- will still be around by 2012. But even that audience will demand greater control over their media experience, while groups that push the envelope of content access and control ("Gadgetiers" and "Kool Kids") will grow ever larger. The two groups will be separated, predictably, by a "generational chasm."

IBM urges those in the television industry to start preparing now for this future state. Experiment with new formats and business models, pursue mobile content, and develop more diverse offerings, to name a few of the report's suggestions. However, while a worthwhile and valuable read, nothing in this report should surprise anyone who's been paying attention to the state of media for the past several years.

Source: BuzzMachine