How Netflix killed Free-to-Air TV
Who else remembers the golden age of Free-to-Air TV from childhood? I remember it like yesterday; the ecstatic feeling I would get, watching my favourite television show or movie broadcasted on Free-to-Air TV with my family.
Fast-forward to today with the age of the internet and my viewing habits, like many others have, dramatically shifted to new media online subscription streaming services like Netflix and Stan.
So, how… did this massive change all come about? In the search of answers, we need to investigate how Netflix killed and replaced the Free-to-Air TV industry.
When Free-to-Air Television Broadcasting was at its height, it was a medium which broadcasted shows which not only captured our attention but also hearts across the country. The operators acted as puppeteers, planning network schedules and advertisements.Whilst we, the viewers, were passive spectators of their game.
I remember being 13 and guiltily wanting to watch a suspenseful episode of Home and Away on the weekend, after a long week at high school. Only to be left heartbroken after checking the TV Guide to find out I would have to wait until 7pm Monday to binge on the show.
In the blink of an eye this all changed when the online subscription streaming service platform, Netflix, revolutionised the media industry when it was first introduced. The platforms, participatory culture between end users and media producers, transitioned the Australian Free-to Air television medium to an adage of the past.
Netflix has since continued to cement its position as a power player in the media industry. Over the last year alone, it has impressively grown by almost 30% with over 9.8 million Australians having a subscription according to Roy Morgan Research.
However, this data does not fully represent usage as many who use the service do not actually pay subscription fees, relying on password-sharing etiquette of friends and family to access the online video streaming service.
The convergence of online video content across multiple media platforms and cooperation between multiple media industries, has afforded online video streaming platforms with a new set of rules with less regulation and red tape, unlike traditional media outlets.
So why do we continually choose online streaming platforms over traditional Free-to-Air TV media?
Is it just because there are no ad breaks? I am sorry to break it to you but the answer is a bit more biological than than it seems. As humans we are all creatures of habit and drawn to what’s new and the affordances it can provide.
In the words of Martin Lister, ‘There is a strong sense in which the ‘new’ in new media carries the ideological force of ‘new equals better.’
The ideology of new equals better’ is framed by technology and hence we are irrevocably drawn to it. Consider this, I like many of us have a perfectly fine working iPhone that does the job, but yet desire the newest shiny toy on the market to replace it.
Free-to-Air TV was also once this shiny toy, drawing family and friends together around the box set and it has now been replaced by the new kid on the block. Through these habits we as users have become the machines to media producers.
This migratory behaviour we have built into our biology means many of us will go almost anywhere in the search for new media.
This sentiment is clearly evident in Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine findings, “Leading streaming video provider Netflix is fast closing in on 10 million users spread across nearly 3.9 million households. 9.8 million Australians aged 14+ used Netflix in the June 2018 quarter which gives Netflix a market penetration of 48% among Australians aged 14+.”
So is there any hope left for the Australian Free-to-Air TV industry anymore, you may be wondering?
The Make it Australian movement hopes to increase regulation for on demand video subscription providers like Netflix. The petition also wants to introduce Australian content quotas, like Free-to-Air-TV’s 55% Australian content quota.
If stricter regulatory frameworks and content quotas mirroring traditional media outlets were imposed, Free-to-Air Television may finally have a fighting hope to compete with power player Netflix.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings argues, however that content quotas lead to the creation of low-quality shows.
For now I’ll personally stick to watching Netflix, sorry Free-to-Air Television your ad breaks are too long for my short millennial attention span.
