The Paradigmatic Evolution of U.S. Television and the Emergence of Internet-Distributed Television

Abstract

Television industries around the world have weathered profound change as technologies advanced and services developed to allow internet-distributed television to compete alongside broadcast and cable-distributed television. This article, drawn from the context of the U.S., explores the emergence of internet-distributed television as a mechanism that provides the affordance of nonlinear distribution. It assesses the preliminary organization of internet-distributed television by portals and explores the similarities and differences between portals and networks/channels with an eye toward conceptualizing emerging business practices and strategies.

Keywords

• television
• internet-distributed
• Netflix
• subscriber-funded
• portals
• affordance