TV: the T that stands for technology and the V for viewing

In the world of television there has always been an intimate relationship between creators and consumers, with technology and viewing as the main cross pollinating ingredients.

In the past 60 years TV-production went from one revolution to the next. From capture on film to recording on video, from black and white to colour, from a 4:3 screen ratio to 16:9, from mono audio to stereo, from standard to high definition to 4k and 8k and from satellite TV to internet streaming. Editing physical film was a time consuming battle, bounded by a single splicer and the cutting room floor. Today it’s an ultra fast non-linear process that provides creators with an infinite number of instant choices.

At the same time, while technology changed dramatically, the viewers - and in a way that’s just as dramatic - are still the same passive consumers. Of course they have embraced things like digital flat-screens, binge-watching and YouTube clips on their smartphones. But hey, even after all these years 99% of all users are couch potatoes. Static recipients of a one-way entertainment stream that they have no control over.