ABSTRACT
There is an overwhelming sense, both in professional circles and in academic writing, that television as we knew it is no more (e.g. Spigel and Olsson 2004; Turner and Tay 2009). Undeniably, the era of broadcast television as the prime mass medium is crumbling, making way for a more complex broadcasting landscape where diverse (niche, global, digital, interactive) channels divide the market, competing with other devices, media and cross-media applications. However, there are important continuities so we should be cautious in declaring the ‘end’ or ‘death’ of television. Historical media research has taught us to be cautious in predicting the future impact of current changes, as differences and evolutions are more easily discernible than continuities. With the benefit of hindsight, the conclusion is often that, yes, the media have changed, but, no, not in the ways we expected, partly because some things have stayed the same.
