This is probably a good change—at least for viewers. People can now pick exactly what they want
to watch and decide when and how they want to watch it. A study done by Harris Interactive found
that more than half of Americans (56 percent) surf the Internet while “watching” television, and
approximately 40 percent say that they read blogs or go on social networking sites at the same
time. But this trend could be a problem for television stations. Advertisers aren’t getting a response
from viewers, and they don’t want to pay money if their commercials aren’t being seen. In
contrast, people who watch things online seem more engaged with what they watch. They read and
write comments on the show, they look up details about the show, and they are less likely to ignore
commercials. For broadcasters, online viewers may turn out to be more loyal fans.