Move with change or get run over by it.

At the weekend I was discussing with our neighbors about the way we consume media and how the growth of on demand has created a whole 'binge viewing' culture and the change of viewing habits, such as  catch-up TV. I don't know about you, but the majority of my TV viewing is now on-demand or through catch-up. There is no doubt the big screen in our living room's is here to stay but the big question is, who will provide what we watch on it?

I am sure on a professional network such as Linkedin, a few will have succumbed to 'binge' viewing.  I've found a 'binge' viewing session can be quite therapeutic. I am sure I am not alone and there will be many who have had 3 hour marathon watching House of Cards, 24, Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad.

The question all media producers are trying to answer is how will we receive media for consumption in the future. Just look at the recent news of Amazon relaunching the famous BBC series, Top Gear. 10 years ago Amazon delivering media content would have been a bit of a joke given our habits where very different back then. Diversity of viewing now presents a real problem. How do you know which one is future proof?  I don't believe anybody honestly knows how we will consume media in the future. 

Just like all those big media companies, going through the process of change can be quite a painful experience. Being creatures of comfort we like things to stay the same, we like certainty. Change brings uncertainty and forces us to improve ourselves and adapt to a world which is constantly changing. Change brings pain.

What's happening in TV is happening everyday. Today there will be numerous inventors and entrepreneurs working and thinking of ways to bring innovation to the way we live our lives. Think about it, 30 years ago, mobile phones where available to a select group, the internet was non-existent and in the UK you could watch 4 TV channels. For all those who were the wrong side of innovation, change was lethal. 

Change is never easy, for the instigators or the recipients. Instigators have to battle against the status-quo and the recipients of change are forced to adapt which is not always convenient. It can be brutally uncomfortable, but what is certain, is that if you try to resist change, you tend to get run over by it. Those that do well, embrace change and adapt to the new world it creates.

Some of the casualties of change such as MySpace, Nokia, HD-DVD and Woolworth's all had great USP's but as times changed their offering didn't seem to matter anymore. The same thing that killed those famous brands is a massive threat on the horizon for Apple, Google and Amazon. 

The warning to us all is that, just like MySpace, if we are not keep up in our fields, we can quickly fall behind the changing environment in which we live and work.