Sony Takes An iView To Broadcasting The ABC.

One of the underlying themes of Televised Revolution has seemed to be the ‘Death of Broadcast Television’. Frequently we find ourselves decrying the end of television as we know it. There is still a hunger by the audience for the type of content traditionally found on television, but they’re more than willing to watch it across a range of alternative media. Downloads, DVD’s, PVR’s, and online streaming has been instrumental in causing a fragmentation within the audience. The digital divide has hurt television badly and its only going to get worse for broadcasters.

The Australian Broadcasting Commission are not willing to let their television audience whittle away. They continue to impress with the way they have taken ownership of the online space in distributing their content. With downloads available through iTunes and their own iView service, the ABC have provided considerable access to their content. Furthermore, the ABC have been proactive in ensuring that this access doesn’t come at a cost to its audience through the establishment of traffic deals with ISP’s to provide un-metered access for users.

Today the ABC have taken this dedication to offering content in a new direction today, announcing their intention to open up their iView service to Sony PS3 users. The PS3, as with the XBox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, is being positioned to serve not just as a gaming device, but as a multimedia portal. One would doubt that the ABC are viewing this as the future direction for their distribution, but rather as another distribution channel that offers convenience for their audience.

The ABC’s Director of Television Kim Dalton has stated that “We want to make our content as accessible as possible to our audience. Increasingly, that means extending our online reach so Australians can watch what they want, when they want it. Today’s gaming consoles, televisions and dvd players all have internet capability and we’re excited to be able to team up with Sony Playstation, as the first step in integrating ABC TV content into new online platforms and technologies.”

In July 2009, iView averaged 764,000 visits, with 47% of users visiting more than once. There’s clearly a demand for flexibility in the way Australians seek their televisual delights. Commercial broadcasters should take note of this success. The approach the ABC is taking is exactly the type of forward thinking that television networks need to embrace in order to survive the digital shift.