I follow one television program - meaning simply I watch it every week. “30 Rock” on NBC appears Thursday nights at 9 p.m. I look forward to that time slot like it was 1980 and I was waiting on “Three’s Company.” There are two or three people at the office who also like “30 Rock.” Friday morning bright and early I met one of my fellow fans in the hall. My first remarks were, “I was kind of disappointed last night; really wasn’t their best show.” And her response was, “What are you talking about?” Further discussion let me know that she didn’t watch the show when I did. “Oh, I watch that on Saturday.” Brought about by video on demand (VOD) and digital video recorders (DVRs), this phenomenon is known as time shifting.
Time shifting occurs when someone records a program for later viewing or listening. Technically, time shifting has been going on since the videocassette recorder made mass market success in the late 1970s. Even so, VOD and DVRs are creating a situation where time shifting is even easier. And let’s not forget the personal computer and the iPod. With portable devices, not only can you time shift but you can place shift. You can watch the program wherever you want. Now the experience of the show is portable and there is no need to be available at that time, sit through the commercials or even watch it on the television. The traditional advertising model using television was content, content, advertisement, content, content, advertisement and then another show and repeat the same. DVRs and VOD are taking the advertisement out of the content. So why does a sitcom have to be 30 minutes long and only available Thursday night? It doesn’t - check out NBC.com; most of them are there for anytime viewing. Beyond time shifting and place shifting, there is perhaps the most intriguing shift of all - authority shifting. Consumer-generated media, Web logs (blog), social communities, and user or customer feedback mechanisms are taking authority away from the networks and publishers and putting it in the hands of the consumer. It all may sound a little scary, but it is just part of the disruptive shifts in behavior that signal an end to television and advertising as we know it.