WebBeat.TV (Large)

"Back in the day, people would turn on their TV specifically to watch the 9p.m. news. But services as Verizon FiOS, Netflix and Hulu - and products as the Boxee Box and the Apple TV - are changing the way we consume television news. Many TV stations nowadays are struggling to get the younger generation to watch their newscast. Why would they watch a late newscast that just covers things they already see LIVE during the day, on their laptops and smartphones? When a plane landed in the hudson, a tweeted picture broke the news. And during the revolution in Egypt, people from all over the world watched Al Jazeera’s live feed. Some say 2011 will be the year of ‘cord-cutting' : people will give up cable TV for online video and streaming providers such as Roku, the Boxee Box, and Apple TV. These are small set-top boxes that you connect to your TV and wireless network, to easily access popular content players like Netflix, Vudu, and YouTube. And while many regular TV outlets are struggling, and cutting back, Boxee box just raised 16.5 million dollars. I skyped with Andrew Kippen from Boxee box - he says they're changing the way people are watching television. So, these digital services might be thriving, faster and cheaper - but what are the downsides? Live television, watching sports and news: that's one of the main reason people do not cut their cords yet. Apple TV, Roku and Boxee box are working on this, and there are already several apps and hacks out there to stream live TV through these boxes. The digitization of TV is changing the way people get their news and favorite shows - but how is it changing the way it's made? Nowadays, all you need is a smartphone or a single camera to make the news. A 2010 survey by Oriella PR Network found an increase of 20% in traditional news outlets who might be taken off the market. And, an increase of about 5% of publications who will switch their entire publication - online. That seems to be just one trend, of many, in the digitization of television: a change in the way news and shows are put out, a possible cable-cutting trend, but also: a shift in the way we watch television. "