Changing the channel

TV is on the move. It’s everywhere. It’s pervasive in the most insidious sense of the word. You simply can’t escape it anymore.
See, there was a time when TVs were locked in living rooms, doomed to get covered in dust and cat hair. There was also a time when TV shows were broadcast; meaning you had to be in front of your TV at a specific time-8 p.m. EST, sharp-or you would miss “Frontline” or “American Idol” or whatever.
But no more.
Consider: Slingbox allows you to watch your cable TV (as well as stuff you recorded) through just about any Internet connection, including a cellular 3G connection.
Consider: For a few dollars a month, MediaFLO now broadcasts both network and cable TV channels straight to cellphones.
Consider: Satellite radio vendor Sirius is using its spectrum to beam a handful of TV channels into automobiles.
And finally, consider: Local broadcasters are coming together to settle on a mobile TV standard that would run over their digital TV spectrum. The biggest loser in this scenario? Those TVs in airports. Who’s going to watch those anymore?
But how will this whole thing shake out? I think it’s clear that consumers-and especially TV lovers-are getting a pretty good deal. I mean, fans of “Laguna Beach” now have like a dozen different ways to watch that show. (Why anyone would want to watch that show is an entirely different issue.) It’s also clear that the abundance of TV options creates a major opportunity for startup companies. When you combine digital TV spectrum, inexpensive smartphones, large amounts of cheap memory, and good old entrepreneur ingenuity, the possibilities are limitless.
However, what’s unclear is the content end of things. After all, movie studios and TV channels are keenly aware of the devastating effects that the Internet has had on the music industry. The question now is: Can the success of “Grey’s Anatomy” be pushed into new platforms?
There are a million different ways this mobile TV market could go; the number and variety of potential business models are hard to even tabulate. But one thing is clear: People will pay for TV, be it in their living room, in their car or on their phone. However, free, ad-supported TV has been the standard for more than 70 years, and I see no reason why it can’t work for mobile TV too.