New Meaning of Internet TV: Interactive + Customization

Since 2011, traditional TV companies, digital TV set-top boxes, IT manufacturers, Internet companies and so on have joined the TV box market. With the launch of the millet box in 2013, the smart TV set-top box has begun to usher in explosive growth. It is reported that shipments of various types of smart set-top boxes reached tens of millions. This all reflects a trend, the Internet began to impact the traditional television industry.

One of the most obvious impacts is the ratings. Since the TV box is rich in contents and can also watch various programs for free, more and more users choose to directly purchase TV boxes. As a result, the ratings of traditional TV stations have dropped significantly. According to statistics, David sees a general decline of 10% or more in ratings, while the prime-time ratings fall by more than 20% in the evening.

On the other hand, the direct impact of the reduction in viewership is advertising revenue, users are transferred to the Internet platform, so advertisers will also be transferred. As a result, traditional TV stations not only lost a large number of users but also took away considerable advertising revenue. According to statistics, the advertising revenue of major Internet video sites in the first quarter of 2015 reached 4.1 billion yuan.

For this reason, as early as the rise of the Internet TV industry in 2013, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) issued a well-known document No. 181, namely, "Operating the Management Requirements of an Internet TV License Organization." In this document, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television stipulates that any video application client installed in the TV box is prohibited; at the same time, the viewing function of the TV box is cancelled, the application of the TV version of the TV website is required to be cancelled, and the application of video aggregation is rectified. Internet TV The content service platform can only access the Internet TV integration platform approved by the General Administration of Industry. At present, there are seven major Internet TV licensees in the country, namely CCTV International, BesTV, Hua Digital Media, South Media, Hunan Television, China International Radio, and the Central People's Broadcasting Station.

Recently, the SARFT has once again shot up, and its No. 229 document issued by the Ministry of Public Security and other four departments, which claims to be “the most stringent oversight”, has announced the blocking of 81 illegal third-party applications. Some insiders believe that in the short term, this round of rectification will cause certain shocks to the market, causing some influence on user habits. However, in the long run, more stringent and effective management can make the entire industry and the market toward a more healthy The direction of operation. Although the industry's interpretation of this is not the same, but the SARFT shot again and again reflects the changes in user needs from another side.

In the past, traditional TVs were only able to provide users with fixed program content in a fixed location (living room, bedroom, etc.), and the user's viewing experience was passive. OTT TV has realized "video is everywhere". Users can actively choose to watch TV programs anywhere on the Internet and on any screen. This is a customizable viewing experience. In short, traditional TV is basically a one-to-many one-way broadcasting service, and OTT TV is naturally technically capable of two-way interaction.

The emergence of television boxes is to meet the new needs of users, coupled with the strengthening of broadband infrastructure, the overall network quality has been greatly improved compared to the past, Internet TV viewing experience is no less than traditional television, and even higher than television. With the maturity of multi-screen interactive technologies and cloud technologies, smart mobile devices will become the main terminal of video in the future, and televisions will be used as displays. What content is displayed depends entirely on the user's personality. Users can rate TV programs like mobile phones and share them on social platforms so that producers can better understand the audience's needs and introduce more sophisticated works.

In short, with the advent of television boxes, traditional televisions have changed from "television broadcast receivers" to intelligent computer equipment. Changes in user needs have created Internet TV and TV boxes, and the introduction of these smart devices has further stimulated the needs of users, and the two have influenced each other. The replacement of cable TV by Internet TV is only a matter of time. The era of Internet TV will focus more on interaction and customization. The traditional TV concept is being weakened.