I'm not sure if this should be in the blog or not, because it unlocks the future of TV.
Everyone bemoans clutter (if you read this space, you know what I think about clutter). TV's struggle to stay relevant could have put the medium under if it were not still the best place to deliver mass audience. However, its content doesn't sing the way it used to, evidenced by "American Idol."
TV is too diluted, and the quality is highly inconsistent. Great television is still great and there is still "must-see" viewing. The mediocrity can be sickening.
So, note this document and the publication date, because you heard it here first. If anyone markets these ideas henceforth, I will be coming for my cut.
5 ways to make TV relevant:
1. Deliver ads on the remote control. The TV is in front of me and I may be looking--or may not be. That remote never leaves my hand. I love how it feels there. I look at it more than the big screen, and that's where the connection is.
2. Make the remote so portable and useful, you keep it with you at all times. Either that, or make a BlackBerry or cell phone a universal remote as well.
3. Make it easy to blog comments or e-mail for immediate feedback. MTV kind of moved this way with "TRL." But it needs to be more mainstream and easier. Think about "MST3K" for the masses, without weird characters. Want to hold an audience? Promise them their comments will be on screen soon.
4. Make gambling, or some kind of pools, legal on TV. Part of what makes the NCAA basketball tournament so fun is the bracket action. What if you could set up friendly wagers on any game you see on TV, and other people watching could take you up on the action?
5. Make the remote voice-activated. They are getting complicated, for me anyway. My kids know all about those funny-colored buttons. I don't.
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