The last few years have seen massive changes in the forms of entertainment that are popular in the UK. Maybe a decade ago it was widely accepted that television was king, but then the internet arrived and online gaming took off, and there was some questioning as to whether television was to become old hat.
Reports of the demise of TV were obviously ill-founded, but games have taken over the world, or at least, until 3D came out, and now the movie industry seems to be launching a fight back.
So we have a three way fight for our screens, the gaming industry (current holder of the second highest grossing form of entertainment ever in the shape of Call of Duty 2), the film industry (step forward Avatar) and, of course, television – which is much harder to give any accolades to, although as Sky has proven, satellite television is a remarkably powerful force and is still growing.
Of course, with broadband, all of the above are now viewable on our computer screens as well as our televisions, and 2011 is scheduled to be the year when 3D televisions with internet access become more or less the thing to buy allowing you to really experience games and television and films in the most engaging way ever.
Yet, that said, there’s so much more. Broadband is one thing, but smartphones and mobile broadband are another altogether. With towns and cities and some mobile providers experimenting with WiFi access across entire areas, we’re going to be able to watch television, play high definition games, and even watch films directly on our phone (that is, until the network crashes from overuse). In fact, with Sky mobile Sky shop you can already do most of the above, if you have a smart enough phone and a good 3G connection.
So, what’s the champion of all entertainment industries? For my money, computers, without them and without broadband none of the above would be possible, and why would we want a king anyway? It’s much more fun having them all battle each other out to try to surpass each other and claim our attention.
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