The next new Next New Thing

If 2004-5 was about blogs and citizen journalism, and 2005 - 6 has been about podcasting and videocasting (and the phenomenal growth of YouTube) it seems to me 2006-7 will be about live TV on the internet. Technologies to deliver pictures over VOIP and DVBH are about to break through. There are of course already major channels streamed on the net, new commercial services about to arrive and independent start ups. If I were a VC or a developer I would looking for the really simple functional internet TV Programme Guide which can pull multiple choices together in one place or portal, organised by genre, geography or any other form of categoristation. There are a few out there, but not yet a break-through version.

Comments

[haydn]

Àre you making a distinction between "live" IPTV and recorded IPTV? I don't see why live IPTV would be the moment of 2007 but IPTV in general yes. I notice you've referred to the BT service which I don't think will have much impact because it relies on existing content too much - but channels that aggregate podcasts/vidcasts, facilitate personal TV expression,and even go further and facilitate new applications by groups (I'm thinking of providing the infrstructure for me and mymaes to set up an online newspaper and adapt the software, or develop rural tourism guides or e-democracy applications) then I think we'll see mainstream audiences really fragment.