Editorial: The Evolution Of Television Has Only Begun

Yesterday, the inevitable announcement arrived; HBO Go would be released as its own separate service. No other details were released, but presumably a monthly payment for HBO Go would get you all kinds of big movies and TV shows like Game of Thrones or Girls on your mobile devices. Many had been awaiting this day for ages, but it still managed to be the gauntlet being thrown down in terms of the future of television. The dominance of Netflix now full recognized, corporations are now realizing that way of consuming entertainment is no fad. The only way they can survive is to adapt.

A more surprising development to support this idea came this morning, when CBS announced something called CBS All-Access. This is a $5.99 streaming service that lets you watch a bunch of CBS programming like The Good Wife. There doesn't seem to be much exclusive content on there, and the fact that the two biggest shows on the network, NCIS and The Big Bang Theory, are nowhere to be found is kinda perplexing.

But it is cheaper than Netflix, and demonstrates that television is changing before our very eyes. CBS is easily the biggest of the four networks (which consists of CBS, ABC, FOX and NBC), and if they're getting into the streaming game, you can bet your boots the other three will follow suit. Hell, if they haven't announced their own independent streaming services by the end of the month, I'll be shocked and amazed. To boot, I'm sure other premium networks like Starz and Showtime (which shares an owner, Time Warner, with HBO) will be following the path of HBO Go and offering new ways to experience their content.

While that onslaught of content prepares itself, it's interesting to look at how different the two existing streaming services, HBO Go and CBS All-Access, are. I already mentioned my skepticism over CBS, but if HBO plays things right, they could really have something on their hands. They have tons of beloved shows on their network and they absolutely kick Netflix's ass in terms of movies. The monthly price will doubtless be higher than Netflix, but I'm excited to hear more details about the service since it really could be nothing short of a game-changer.