No, says CBS boss. In fact, it will accelerate TV viewing even further.
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That’s according to Jim Lanzon, boss of US network giant CBS Interactive, who says internet and mobile TV has wetted appetites for broadcast TV even further, rather than cannibalising it.
“We see that people that watch on our website are more likely to tune in on broadcast and watch it live because they are able to stay connected to the show when they otherwise might have missed it,” CBS Interactive CEO, Jim Lanzon told AFR.
And, in fact, online and broadcast TV don’t even compete – Digital Video Recorder (DVR) is online’s real rival, the TV boss says.
“The DVR introduced timeshifting; internet TV introduced playshifting.”
Internet TV and broadcast are complementary, Lanzon argues, despite the fact new IPTV, catch up and streaming services like ABC iView, Quickflix are now and becoming ever more commonplace.
Viewers also come across new content online that they wouldn’t have otherwise seen, which drives demand for broadcast TV, he says.
“So not only is it not cannibalistic to broadcast TV, it’s the opposite. It actually helps promote broadcast TV.
“While we are seeing internet video go up, we see broadcast TV viewing going up at the same time.
“Mobile traffic is becoming a larger percentage of our traffic” Lanzon admits, but adds “at the same time our overall traffic is also rising.”
Local analysts Telsyte say there has also been a rise in subscription TV via Internet in Oz, with more than 300,000 households, or one in 10, now accessing Internet Protocol TV services.
Telsyte also predict by 2015 one third of all Pay TV services will be delivered over broadband.
