Here's What's New

As well-adjusted adults, we may have learned to suppress our self-indulgent tendencies in favor of social etiquette, but that doesn’t mean the inner voice demanding instant gratification is ever truly silenced. I don’t know about you, but my inner voice sounds remarkably like Queen: 

“I want it all.

I want it all.

I want it all.

And I want it now!”

 The time has come to take these words to heart. 

“On-demand” (as it relates to products and services) is something that has characterized the last couple of decades, but the truth is, we—as a consumer culture—have always desired and championed on-demand access to the various things we consume. This is why disruptive tech and business models like Amazon Prime and Uber are so successful. Today’s connected consumers know exactly what they want, when they want it, and where to get it—and successful brands are the ones that are able to deliver on all counts. This intersection of technology and an on-demand culture represents a great shift in how brands win customers. The customer experience is paramount, and convenience is the name of the game—and this attitude is changing the parameters of success across all industries.

Reports surface every week that hail the demise of TV and highlight the shortcomings of cable networks. However, it’s important to note that these trends are merely symptoms. They are symptoms of a larger, cultural change spearheaded by the generation of yours truly—the *in James Earl Jones’ voice* millennials. We are consuming more than any other generation and are, as a result, reshaping digital consumption and the future of video production, as we you know it. Habits are hard to break, but if an alternative to your habit is presented, you find that it’s easier to shift gears—pivot, if you will—and form new habits. Our habit of being a couch potato and tied down by our DVR has nearly come to an end. Don’t get me wrong, we still want to consume the same, if not more, content. We are just extremely adept at finding streaming it from various places/applications via two, maybe three, screens. Let’s take a deeper look at my generation, an even younger generation, and how our changing habits are transforming the broadcast and pay TV world, as you know it.