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Will DVR and streaming video kill the live television star?

Will DVR and streaming video kill the live television star?

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A piece in The New York Times takes a look at how DVR and streaming services are eating away at television's live audience.

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Roku Netflix (800px)
Roku Netflix (800px)

With so many different avenues for consuming broadcast television content, it's not hard to imagine that traditional cable viewership has been in steady decline. This week marks the beginning of a new sales season for broadcast networks and potential advertisers, and this downward trend in live audiences will undoubtedly be up for discussion at these networks' "upfront" meetings. David Carr's piece in the The New York Times takes a personal look at how lifestyle changes in an internet saturated society are wicking viewers away from live television.

Carr says that, with the advent of cheap DVR services, "harvesting" television content to watch later is an option that both he and many others find to be more manageable than dedicating entire blocks of time to a show as they air. Despite this, Carr recognizes that live broadcast advertising is still the engine that drives content producers to create their products and can't help but wonder what will happen if advertising revenue model is sustainable in the long run. If you'd like to read more about how the internet is pulling people away from scheduled television broadcasts, be sure to give this piece a read. Oh, you bookmarked it for later? That's cool with us.