| Summary: | Few would disagree that the media landscape has undergone significant changes the last decade. From bulky computers and plain mobile phones to portable High-Definition computers and multi-functional smartphones. Other media, such as newspapers and music, have evolved and prospered in a digitalized environment. The constant urge to digitalize aspects and functions of our daily lives seems almost instinctive. Television has taken further steps into this environment as it is now accepted and featured via the Internet. This essay investigates in the ways the new platforms of television will affect the traditional one. More specifically, whether the Internet Streaming Media functions as an extension or as a replacement to the current form of television. Furthermore, this essay explores age- and gender-related content-preferences in Streaming, as well as speculating on the subject of the consequences of Streaming consumption. The method in acquiring the empirical data is through a quantitative one, in a survey. The conclusions made are that the survey respondents, at this current time, are using Streaming as an extension to traditional TV, that there are, in some genres, significant gender-related content preferences when watching TV over the Internet (these include: Drama, reality and sports) and that there are age-related content preference when using Streaming; as the younger age-groups watch “entertainment-shows” more than the older age-groups but neither of the groups do so exclusively. When it then comes to the discussion concerning increased individualization it is, at this point in time, too early to speculate since the respondents mostly use Streaming as an extension to the traditional television.
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