The eOK .network

For the last year or so, I’ve had the conviction that the TV was going to be the next big thing in media, so today I was glad to read Steve Rubel sharing the same sentiment:

The TV is undergoing a renaissance. In five year’s time, 50% of what the most coveted audiences watch on their sets will come off the Internet. However, it goes beyond video content. Television will run widgets and other connected software applications. These will be different from, yet complementary to what runs on a PC desktop or webtop. That’s just the beginning.

I totally agree, and like to offer more reason why this is so.

In addition to Steve’s argument that online content is streaming into the TV, I’d like to suggest we watch the set top box and IPTV space as well. Wireless technology vendors such as Motorola as well as networking giant Cisco are acquiring and pushing out TV set top boxes that do just about everything from digital video storage to Internet connectivity.

Game console makers are doing the same, most notably Sony’s PlayStation 3 with WiFi and the upcoming virtual world Home.

I believe these vendors are preparing for the tipping point where metropolitan or national next-gen networks become common place. Governments are already trying to figure out how to cater for fibre-to-the-premise and over wide-area wireless broadband.

I also heard rumours that SingTel may be trying out IPTV with over the air signals and wireless CPEs. Mmm… interesting.

My guess is also that set top boxes will increasingly become storage centers for personal media such as photographs, videos, and music. Today, the less savvy still struggle with hooking up their digital cameras to their PCs with driver installations they can only pray will work. One day all will be unified in a media center that’s not a PC, but a TV.

This may make me actually watch some TV. =)

(Motorola and Cisco are Hill & Knowlton clients)