7.9.07

Interactivity in the Hospitality/Lodging Industry

You may use this content (better still, argue with me!), but please cite my ideas as © 2007, Dr. Bruce Klopfenstein. Find any typos! Please let me know!
Anyone who travels knows that even the less expensive motels have in-room entertainment in their rooms. Over the years, this has evolved into a mature medium, interactive services to a captive audience. Is there anything we can learn from the behavior of lodging guests in their use of the television services? Will hotels become the first testbed for broadband (or Video over Internet Protocol: VOIP) TV?

There used to be 2 large providers of in-room telephone, pay-TV, Internet, and now broadband into the hotel room: LodgeNet and OnCommand. More to come...

Remember Progressive Rock MTV? Clues for Video Over IP

You may use this content (better still, argue with me!), but please cite my ideas as © 2007, Dr. Bruce Klopfenstein. Find any typos? Please let me know!

http://www.sopcast.org/channel/ is a list of television stations from around the world that are available online. When MTV began, its playlist looked like it came straight out of college radio. Why? Because early music videos were produced to introduce new artists. The Internet has done the same thing: unknown bands love using the Internet to get their music out, and then they may change their tune once they become "popular."

In much the same way, niche video or television stations around the world may see the Internet as a great way to gain global audiences. There are a number of web sites that are tracking the availability of video on the web, and SopCast is just one example. TVU below is another:
http://www.tvunetworks.com

Readers, please post others. My students, be sure to point out that you have posted sites so that I might give you extra credit.