KTA 4: Impact of Technological convergence essay

Leon Woollen

How are media products  traditionally distributed/consumed compared to now?

1- TV

Traditionally, TV would have been consumed through paying for a broadcast provider and watching shows/movies at a specific scheduled time and could not be fast forward or re-winded. They would have ad breaks that advertise products and give viewers time to go to the toilet, get drinks etc. An example of a broadcast provider would be Sky TV, which was one of the leading broadcast providers.

Compared to now, TV is mainly consumed through streaming services, where consumers can watch what they want, when they want on a range of different devices such as phones, tv, and PCs. Examples of streaming services include Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video. 

2- Film

Traditionally, films would be bought in supermarkets (on disc) or in a video rental shop such as 'Blockbusters'. To view these you would need a video player that would plug-in to the TV and display the movie disc played. 

Compared to now, films are consumed similarly to how TV is, through the use of streaming services. These streaming services give consumers much more choice in what they want to watch and are all in one place that can be viewed across different platforms.

3- Video Games 

Traditionally, to play videogames you'd have to buy a console that uses large cartridges that would have to be loaded into the console. These cartridges' were bought at stores and, although they were larger in size, would display much smaller simpler games in design. The console would only be able to run that specific game and nothing else.

Compared to now, games can be bought digitally and on discs and can display much larger, complex games. As well as this, consoles can now do much more than play just games. An example of this is PlayStation that can be used to access the internet, listen to music and use YouTube. 

4- Magazines/newspaper

Traditionally, magazines would be bought in person at supermarkets and different stores.

Compared to now, you can purchase magazines online and even view them digitally across all devices, using apps. 

5- Radio 

Traditionally, to listen to the radio you would have to own a radio that plays different broadcast stations that you would have to tune into. They would play certain things at certain times in the day on a schedule. 

Compared to now, both radio and music can be listened to on mobile devices at whatever time the consumer wants and can pause, play and rewind what they are listening to. These are listened to on apps such as BBC Sounds.

6- Music

Traditionally, music would be listened to in a similar way to Radio, through a broadcast station such as Capitol FM. There would be tons of different stations available to consumers that all have their own schedule and play a certain genre of music. Music was also traditionally listened to using CD's (and CD players) and vinyl's and record players. Which were expensive and huge(in the case of vinyl's), and  only played a set amount of songs that the CD/Vinyl would have to offer. 

Compared to now, all types of music can be listened to on a range of different devices using an app such as Spotify. 

How has technological convergence impacted 3 of the above media sectors?

1- Music

Technological convergence has made it much easier for the music industry to distribute their product and for the consumers to listen to the product. This is because of the introduction of blackbox devices that allow consumers to listen to a broad range of music using their phones anywhere they want. This is easier for consumers as they no longer need to go out and buy records or vinyl's and can immediately listen  to the newly released singles online. This is also easier for conglomerates as they no longer need to rely on selling Vinyl's or CDs and can earn their revenue primarily through streams. 

2- Film

Technological convergence has also impacted the Television Industry through the rise of streaming services. Now, movies can be streamed online instead of bought on disc or watched in the cinema which gives consumers much more options in what they want to watch for a cheaper price. Movies are now much easier to find and be seen through the rise of web 2.0. 

3- Video Games

Technological convergence has now allowed the video game industry to thrive as now video game consoles can be used to do much more than play just games. Now consoles such as PlayStation can be used to access the web, stream music and play games all at once.