When the first television was invented in 1927 by Philo Taylor Farnsworth, no one ever imagined that it would become the massive industry that it is today. You see, for decades, television was like cinema’s poor cousin. The TV was not even close to being as entertaining as it is today since movie stars never appeared on the few low-budget TV shows that aired back in the day. There were no 24-hour channels, and production houses only allocated bigger budgets to 90-minute movies. As a result, people went to cinemas as a social event and just switched on the TV when they wanted to catch up on the news.
With the dawn of the internet came the evolution of television. As the world started adopting internet usage, a whole world of possibilities opened up. 24-hour channels began popping up, and TV shows began getting more significant budgets, giving the industry a chance to compete against cinema. The ensuing technological advancements coupled with brilliant innovations made it possible for TV manufacturers to create bigger but lighter TVs which produced crisp and clear pictures that made the images on older TV sets seem like stick drawings. These TVs are what you can now find in almost every home. As the television industry progressed, the cinema industry declined. Cinemas ceased being treated as social events since people could now enjoy the cinema experience from the comfort of their homes, and in a more intimate setting through the “all you can eat” TV streaming services facilitated by high-speed internet connections.
As viewers started developing an appetite for TV, there was increased demand for repeat episodes of favourite TV shows which paved the way for the creation of Netflix, while the need for entertaining TV shows that viewers could binge on gave birth to HBO which dominated the scene until recent years. The increasing viewers’ taste for original and high-quality content caught the attention of big players like Amazon, Apple, and Google who started coming up with strategies of their own to break into the market which in turn, made everyone up their game.
Australia had for a long time been subjected to low-quality and low-budget productions until Stan and Netflix started partnering with traditional broadcasters to produce better quality content that had the potential for international export. Now Australians can enjoy some excellent shows on local TV such as;
1. Wolf Creek
2. No Activity (an Aussie original remade recently in the USA featuring some big names)
3. Channel 10’s remake of the cult classic, Wake in Fright (this is awesome)
4. Wentworth (Foxtel’s reboot of the classic Aussie staple Prisoner is gritty, thrilling and totally addictive)
5. The New Legends on Monkey (I kid you not. This AU/NZ co-produced remake of Monkey Magic is actually quite enjoyable family entertainment.)
Although television has improved a lot in Australia, it is not the only place where Australians can enjoy great entertainment. Recently, streaming services have extended their services to Australia. Stan, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and YouTube TV are some of the significant streaming service providers who are keen on tapping into the growing Australian entertainment market. YouTube TV has recently added more channels and markets ranging from family channels to sports channels, which means more variety and more entertainment for Australians.
Can Australia accommodate more streaming service providers? Hell yes, it can! Is there room for all this TV binging? You bet there is, although we might see a few corporate buyouts and takeovers in the next couple of years as the market settles.
