I've been pondering the prospects for News Corp at late. Rumours are rife that Jimbo Murdoch (son of Rupert and current chairman of the group) is keen to dispense with its traditional newspaper interests.
There's some sense in this of course; print media is up against it, particularly newspapers. As soon as digital data clouds are reliable and abundant, newsstand titles are screwed. Murdoch Jr, who cut his teeth in the music industry and on-line content, knows this and is not in thrall to noisy newsrooms and the smell of ink. He also realises that governments no longer quake at the prospect of a damning leader or two.
Sadly, however, NI's other major holdings are TV channels. While everyone's been singing laments for the inkies, the traditional TV channel's demise has been rather overlooked. I contend that individual television channels will be finished inside ten years. What's the point of them? Commercials channels' USPs are scheduling and advertising. They arrange the schedule so that millions of people have to sit down at the same time to watch the same programme. Once herded like this, they are subjected to breath-takingly expensive advertising. Or rather, they used to be. Personal recording devices have all but rendered this business null and void. I, along with the rest of the right-thinking world, developed quite a crush on "The Wire". My trusty PVR recorded them for me, and I watched at times that suited me.
The series were broadcast by BBC2. I know this because there were no adverts. If there had been, I'd simply have skipped through them using my PVR's skip-this-bit facility.
In a few years' time another world-beating drama will emerge from the US. This time, however, my wireless telly will download it from HBO (probably) directly. They'll get my hard-earned. Why would I give it to Sky? NI is a giant middle-man. James if you're reading this, I want to speak to the organ grinder.
