Cable television was introduced in the early 1980s. Back then it was said that subscriber-based television in no uncertain terms was going to obliterate the over-the-air giants.

Almost 3 decades later it’s painfully obvious that cable is and always will be second banana to the affiliate stations. Remember that as you read thru this.

In the mid-2000s a shift occurred whereas there are now more people with broadband internet connectivity compared to dial-up. As such, online video appeared. YouTube is still king of the hill in that department. There are those who say that internet video is better and will “take over” traditional television.

Not a chance.

And I can prove it to you.

The local convenience store clerk does not know any YouTube “celebrities” by name nor has he or she ever seen any of that celebrity’s videos.

But that clerk does know what American Idol is and has probably seen it several times.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you haven’t heard, CBS acquired CNET for 1.8 billion. “The eye” (that’s the CBS logo) has taken a keen interest in “superdistribution” of its content and definitely has a leg up with the recent acquisition.

What this means to you is that you will (finally) see more on-TV content, as in the good stuff, via means other than television such as smartphones and other portable electronic devices that internet data connectivity.

This is a really expensive attempt to get actual broadcast programming on something else other than traditional television. CBS feels that there’s a market out there in the online world.

Bear in mind that Big Television was the last to embrace the internet. At first they absolutely hated it, casting it aside as nothing worth paying attention to.

That tune has obviously changed.

At present, internet video is not second but third banana behind subscriber-based television (cable/satellite.)

Will a superdistribution of content actually help out CBS? Or more importantly, will it bring internet video into a true mainstream environment as something that can actually compete with cable?

We’ll find out soon enough.