“Why On-Demand changes Everything”
The thrust of this article expresses the BBC’s commitment not just to “continued centrality and national cultural life,” but to embrace the “next phase of broadcasting’s technological future.” The BBC has been experimenting with an on-demand player, with a 5,000 in house trial with a 7-day availability mostly to accommodate and preserve the rights of content owners. At present limited access to on-demand content is available for radio broadcasts and some video content, however, not to the extent that is being proposed. This new media outlet will allow for a significant amount of content to be viewed using peer to peer interaction software and will eventually include an archive of content accessible from multiple devices. However there are some reservations particularly from those who believe the the BBC’s forays into media will make it difficult for others to break into the market. Interestingly enough it encourages diverse viewing experiences.
Blogs in the global atmosphere
In class we have discussed how blogs can be used as soapboxes for people to advocate on behalf of some cause or political idea. What I appreciated about this weeks readings is that it dabbled in how this medium manifests itself in other markets. I found it particularly interesting when it talked about the Russian backlash against a US company for trying to censor it political commentary. The idea that one company/nation can exercise that kind of control is quite remarkable, albeit dangerous. This clearly illustrates the age of interdependence we live in today. Last summer I traveled to Italy and participated in a class on the European Union which discussed this notion of eliminating borders between nations. My concern is that with this level of connectedness do we run the risk of losing character at the global level? Today it a US company the buys out livejournal, but what about tomorrow when a Chinese corporation buys the rights to i tunes and starts removing certain artists because of their lyrics. I think it is important that we stay mindful of the messages that we advocate and what kind of message or actions send as well.
