ABSTRACT

Returning to the debates raised in the Introduction and drawing on the analysis developed across the book, the conclusion argues that the internet era can be understood as a period of particular volatility for television. This volatility manifests itself in a variety of ways: definitions of television are unstable; the internet ecosystem within which online TV services sit is fluid and fast-changing; the industry that produces online TV services is characterised by a range of competing business models; the attributes of online TV services are transient and subject to change; and the concept of television as ‘service’ is redefined. The conclusion examines how the models and frameworks outlined by this book provide tools with which to navigate this volatility. One consequence of the volatility of the internet era is that it can make it difficult to understand how and by whom power is enacted. In providing tools to analyse online TV, this book brings into focus the power dynamics of the online TV industry and sets out an agenda for media scholars, users, regulators and policymakers.