Should Online Video Really Be Called Internet TV? I Say No.

I’ve been debating this for a long time with lots of people and it seems everyone has a different opinion. Many vendors have been describing their services as being that of "Internet TV". But is that really the right term to be using? For years now, many of us online video folks have been explaining over and over how the TV and video on the Internet are not the same. We’re always giving examples of how different the user experience is, the way content is distributed etc…. but still, Internet TV seems to be the phrase put forth by many.

Personally, I think it’s incorrect. We are so many years away from being able to truly think of the video we see on the computer as being compared to the video we see today on TV. Some of this is a good thing as we don’t want the video we see on TV to be the same via the Internet. The whole point is that online video is changing the way the TV industry thinks about content, advertising and eyeballs, which is a good thing. But I still think combining the words Internet and TV together, at this stage in the game, just sets expectations incorrectly.

I’d love to hear your take on this subject in the comments section.