Is cable Television Dead?

With the continual growth of the internet and its many varying platforms of social and media interaction, there has been a wonderful institution that has given the opportunity for people to claim there independence. That of course being ad revenue and corporate sponsorship. Whether its filming videos of yourself reviewing fast food items, adding commentary to your favorite video game, teaching people how to perform tasks, or simply talking about your life, people now have the ability to cash in on the constantly expanding traffic of the internet through ad placements on their content.
This has inspired many people to really be able to show their true colors in life.
This trend has inspired animators, developers, writers, and even bloggers alike, and in doing so they are allowed to express themselves without having to follow the strict censorship regulations of the FCC.

Take for example the you tube channel "the most popular girls". This popular web series was written, directed, and animated by a group of just 12 individuals. Now that seems like a lot of people, but take a similar 10 minute television show with the same stop motion style animation like Adult Swims "Robot Chicken" which had a staff of well over 25+ people including animators, writers, directors, and network broadcasters, and subtract the the expenses that comes with producing a television program through a major network, and you're going to have a good chunk of change without all of the corporate headache. Not to mention the most popular girls in school has grossed over 50 million views to this date.

My point here is to illustrate the fact that anybody can create content, everybody has a shot. Whereas making a marketable network television program may take years, if not decades to come to fruition if you do not have the proper credentials to be recognized as an amicable producer.

Now im not saying that you can pick up a camera, talk about what you had for dinner and make $1000. But I am saying that with enough drive, effort, and determination, you can produce content that can be verified without having to run through the channels of earning a broadcasting contract through a television network.

YouTube isn't the only platform creators can broadcast their content either. With the competitive gaming scene becoming larger every year, people have taken to another platform to stream their game-play interactions live for all of their subscribers to enjoy. This platform is called Twitch.tv

Twitch.tv first started out as Justin.tv 2011 Founded by co-founders Emmett Shear and Justin Kan. The site had several categories but the gaming content on Justin.tv grew especially fast and eventually became the most popular content on the site. Due to this, they started kicking around an idea of building a website specifically around streaming video game matches, the company decided to spin off the gaming content as twitch.tv which launched officially on June 6th of 2011. Twitch is a live video streaming platform for gamers. More than 55 million gather monthly to watch, broadcast and discuss video games making it the world’s leading gamer video platform. It now forms the backbone of live and on demand distribution for the gaming industry. Justin.tv’s parent company was re-branded as Twitch Interactive and Justin.tv was eventually shut down in August 2014.
Since inception, Twitch has received significant investments of venture capital, Justin.tv had raised $7 million by the time of re-branding after which twitch.tv has gone on to raise an additional $15 million and $20 million in 2012 and 2013 respectively. “The investments from Thrive Capital, West Summit Capital, and Take-Two Interactive, ensures we can more effectively grow and tap into new markets,” said Kevin Lin, COO of Twitch. Twitch now has a near monopoly in the market making it the most popular e-sports streaming service. Its popularity would eclipse that of its counterparts by mid-2013. During peak periods in the U.S for example, Twitch makes up 1.8% of the total US Internet traffic coming in fourth behind Google, Netflix and Apple. There are no special requirements to be able to stream on this platform, just as with you tube, the stage is set, and everybody gets a turn to show their content.

It seems as though cable television will continue to dwindle as the uncapped potential of internet content creation continues to skyrocket, And I am very excited to see where the future of content creation and online streaming will take the entertainment industry as a whole.
Below is a list of some particular content creators and streamers that have been delivering consistent and quality content for you all to enjoy! Don't forgot to up vote and give these creators a shot at the limelight!

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