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Prediction: the End of TV as We Know It

A report published by IBM predicts the end of TV as we know it, with a generational chasm emerging between the passive mass audience and leading-edge consumers adopting an individualised viewing experience.

The report observes that consumers have been migrating to more specialised, niche content via cable and multichannel offerings. Now, with increasing competition from convergence in television and telecommunications, the industry is confronting unparalleled complexity, dynamic change and pressure to innovate.

This will lead to a two tier market, with one consumer segment remaining passive viewers, while others search for a more individualised media experience through multiple channels.

The IBM study concludes that �players within the TV industry sit on the precipice of an impending upheaval that promises to be no less dramatic that that experienced by the music industry�.

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