Traditional vs Digital Distribution of

Television and Video Games

Base, Dubouzet, Mckersie, Ochoa, Zulueta

Traditional Media Distribution Model
Television Distribution model
● Over the air (OTA) television [1]
○ Primarily Earns money through advertisement
○ Scheduled list of shows with fixed durations
■ Ex. dramas are usually given 50-60 mins while comedies and animations are given 20-30
○ Commercials are inserted in intervals
○ Ex: ABS-CBN, GMA, Fox Television
● Cable
○ Earns money through subscription and related services
Physical Stores for television and Video Games
● Stores that sell or rent physical copies of movies, series’ and games [2]
○ Ex: Block Buster, Video City, RedBox, Datablitz
Video Game arcades
● Originally the only way to play videogames were parlours that housed arcade
machines [3]
○ Arcade machines that required you to pay as you play
○ Very limited technology and play time
Digital Media Distribution through
Apps
Online Stores
● Online based distribution of products [2]
● App based interface (No Physical Stores)
○ Ex: Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon, Steam
○ One time purchase of virtual product, or
○ Streaming service
Advantages and Disadvantages of
Digital Distribution over Traditional
Advantages/Disadvantages of Traditional
Distribution of Television
ADVANTAGES

● High mass audience coverage

● Local regional emphasis, cable audience availability, some audience selectivity.

DISADVANTAGES

● Very high costs of production and airtime.

● High advertising clutter.
● Channel switching.
Advantages/Disadvantages of Traditional
Distribution of Video Games
ADVANTAGES

● Arcades let you socialize with other people

● Pirating games was less common

DISADVANTAGES

● Less accessible
● Higher manufacturing cost and barrier of entry to new game creators
Advantages/Disadvantages of Digital Distribution
Television Games
○ Advantages ○ Advantages
■ Shows can be watched at anytime ■ Easier to create and distribute
■ Not limited by blocked schedules ■ More accessible
■ New Forms of Interactivity ■ Multiplayer
■ Multi-Platform (Computer, TV ,Phones ) ■ More competition equal better games and
○ Disadvantages diverse stories
■ Repeating channels ○ Disadvantages
■ Hours flipping through channels ■ More content makes games get lost
■ Crime, sex violence that may ■ More pirating
influence children ■ Multiplayer potentially taking over story driven
games
■ Addictive
■ Games are often sold incomplete
■ Watching too much may damage
the eyes
Effect on the Content
Television
Local/Regional Programming
Local/Regional Programming for Television
Local/Regional Television programs and networks limit the content to a certain
coverage area. This opens opportunities for local culture and heritage to be a part
of the programs content. An example is the show “Kalam” which uses the
kapangpangan language, folklore, and culture within its story.
Non-Blocked Programming
Non-Blocked Programming For television
Shows are no longer limited by broadcast schedules therefore the duration of
shows can vary. An example of this is “Planeterian” which had episodes that
varied from 10 to 30 minutes instead of the fixed 20 minute standard for animated
shows [4]. This frees the show runner from designing the plot according to these
limitations
Interactivity of Shows
Interactivity of Shows
Streaming allows for more creative content such as changing the format in which a
show is structured. For example, Netflix was able to release a choose your own
adventure style black mirror series called. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch wherein
the main character is also adapting the genre into a video game format [6]
Video Games
Birth of New Media Video Games
Birth Of New Media Video Games
Old media video games don’t have stories to tell. At the time when arcade
games were popular games were just made to help us players enjoy. However
this all changed when the movie Star Wars came out. Star Wars inspired
game developers to create games that has a good story because at the time
game developers were struggling to make their games more immersive.
Because of this New Media Videogames was born.
Early Access
Early Access
Video Games distributed through apps are often sold unfinished, this trend is
called ‘early access’ and sees developers sell these unfinished products with the
promise to update and eventually complete the game. Ideally this allows the
players to communicate and help shape what the final game will be. The game
that started this trend is Minecraft. [7]
Downloadable Content
DLCs in Videogames
DLCs can allow players to experience more to the story the game presents to them
initially and are usually distributed and purchased online upon release. An example
of this is Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea which acts as a prequel that explains the
events of the first game (Bioshock) within the series and how the characters of
this installment of the game lead towards it.
Multiplayer Storytelling
Multiplayer Storytelling
Some say that multiplayer games and apps are killing single player games, but
some developers manage to use the internet to enhance story driven games like
“Dark Souls” and “Death Stranding”. [8]
Conclusion!
Conclusion:
New media storytelling, specifically storytelling through app based interfaces
allows us to take old mediums and experiment with them because of the
interactive and instantaneous nature of the internet and the equal opportunity it
gives everyone to share their own take. [9]
References
● [1] https://www.cabletv.com/blog/what-is-over-the-air-ota-tv

● [2]https://techcrunch.com/2015/10/31/the-history-of-gaming-an-evolving-community/

● [3]https://davidgameplatform.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/the-features-and-limitations-of-arcade-and-consoles/

● [4]https://myanimelist.net/anime/33091/Planetarian__Chiisana_Hoshi_no_Yume

● [7]http://theconversation.com/better-in-beta-why-early-access-games-are-a-double-edged-sword-29653

● [8]https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2019/11/08/we-are-living-hideo-kojimas-dystopian-nightmare-can-he-save-us

● [9] https://medium.com/storyworld/storytelling-in-the-time-of-the-internet-5c8c0a0809c0

● [10]https://reelrundown.com/tv/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-watching-Television