Streaming enables resurgence in areas abandoned by traditional TV companies

Matthew Ruth · September 8th, 2016, 10:33 PM

I've always wished there was a community TV station, but it doesn't seem to be much of a thing in Australia, particularly rural Australia.

Live streaming is something that I find interesting, especially things like this, where it kind of bring a community TV kind of option to the people.

I'm impressed that it's coming out of country areas, which you would imagine have a fairly limited broadband availability, but I guess if you can rely on high speed mobile broadband, then you can get somewhere.

Hopefully eventually we'll get some proper broadband access, with decent upload speeds here one day, and that will make things a lot easier.

Chris Harding · September 9th, 2016, 01:04 AM

Hi Matthew

We used to have a community channel throughout the country. In Perth it was called "Channel 31" but was bought by a foreign investor and then closed sadly. I supposed when broadcasts went digital they simply couldn't afford to upgrade their transmitters? It used to be a great place for film students to get experience but they were very fussy about what they would allow to be aired and companies were only allowed to "sponsor" a program and no other advertising content was allowed within the program either just selected ads at various places and that probably killed the revenue stream. Content also was very restricted too. With an online streaming channel you don't really have all the government red tape so I'm surprised that a replacement hasn't sprung up already!! As Simon says getting sponsors is the biggest issue. Maybe a project needs to be started and financed with a crowd funding scheme ??? There's an idea!!! We actually do a wedding vendor show based of brides looking for wedding suppliers and so far have done two trial runs and believe me, wedding vendors seem to be VERY tight fisted with their money so unless they get their act together we will eventually have to scrap it.... Here is one we did in August.

Perth Bridal Show - Episode 2 on Livestream

Simon Denny · September 9th, 2016, 01:49 AM

For me and many others Community TV was a great place to start and give it a go. I liked the fact that Community TV was raw and had a diverse range of programs and one that I miss sadly as I felt really aligned with this style and format. Main stream TV is fine and great at times however lacks the chance for smaller productions to have a voice and this is where Community TV came into its own.

The USA, and Canada seem to have a great Community TV presence and I for one would love to tap into this, I did try but became.... umm... lost motivation. I still have many Shows running around inside my head and they look and sound fantastic however I don't think I have the energy again to go down this path again, agh...... I could be wrong.

Now Live Streaming, this is the future man.... the public just need to learn how to connect their PC, Mac, Laptops etc... and become educated that Streaming has fantastic content available. I hardly ever watch TV anymore due to the fact that everything and I mean everything is now available on the NET and mostly for FREE.

Sorry for my rant, I'm just sooo into it.

Chris Harding · September 9th, 2016, 04:29 AM

Hi Simon

That's no rant! That's pure enthusiasm and an intelligent look at the future of live broadcasting. When I started to get into it I was more excited than I have ever been and still get excited over the prospects.

There seems to be one major obstacle which is educating the public about the massive potential and I'm not sure how that should be done ... even with weddings brides are proving a huge block for me simply because they don't understand that they can get a wedding video the same as before except (because the event is edited live) they don't have to pay the videographer to sit for a week putting together a hundred camera clips. What seems perfectly logical to us is a mystery to the general public.

Your market is massive. I mean how many young ladies do you see when you are out that DON'T have a mobile phone glued to their hand ... I bet only a tiny proportion of those watch conventional TV and they are a powerful market for manufacturers and services, yet the same manufacturers will spend millions advertising on TV !!

If one could find funding for a Community channel education would spread like wildfire and people would watch "internet" shows on their phones or tablets.

September 8th, 2016, 10:33 PM	#16
Matthew Ruth New Boot Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Canberra Australia Posts: 8	Re: Streaming enables resurgence in areas abandoned by traditional TV companies I've always wished there was a community TV station, but it doesn't seem to be much of a thing in Australia, particularly rural Australia. Live streaming is something that I find interesting, especially things like this, where it kind of bring a community TV kind of option to the people. I'm impressed that it's coming out of country areas, which you would imagine have a fairly limited broadband availability, but I guess if you can rely on high speed mobile broadband, then you can get somewhere. Hopefully eventually we'll get some proper broadband access, with decent upload speeds here one day, and that will make things a lot easier.

September 9th, 2016, 01:04 AM	#17
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Streaming enables resurgence in areas abandoned by traditional TV companies Hi Matthew We used to have a community channel throughout the country. In Perth it was called "Channel 31" but was bought by a foreign investor and then closed sadly. I supposed when broadcasts went digital they simply couldn't afford to upgrade their transmitters? It used to be a great place for film students to get experience but they were very fussy about what they would allow to be aired and companies were only allowed to "sponsor" a program and no other advertising content was allowed within the program either just selected ads at various places and that probably killed the revenue stream. Content also was very restricted too. With an online streaming channel you don't really have all the government red tape so I'm surprised that a replacement hasn't sprung up already!! As Simon says getting sponsors is the biggest issue. Maybe a project needs to be started and financed with a crowd funding scheme ??? There's an idea!!! We actually do a wedding vendor show based of brides looking for wedding suppliers and so far have done two trial runs and believe me, wedding vendors seem to be VERY tight fisted with their money so unless they get their act together we will eventually have to scrap it.... Here is one we did in August. Perth Bridal Show - Episode 2 on Livestream

September 9th, 2016, 01:49 AM	#18
Simon Denny Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,409	Re: Streaming enables resurgence in areas abandoned by traditional TV companies For me and many others Community TV was a great place to start and give it a go. I liked the fact that Community TV was raw and had a diverse range of programs and one that I miss sadly as I felt really aligned with this style and format. Main stream TV is fine and great at times however lacks the chance for smaller productions to have a voice and this is where Community TV came into its own. The USA, and Canada seem to have a great Community TV presence and I for one would love to tap into this, I did try but became.... umm... lost motivation. I still have many Shows running around inside my head and they look and sound fantastic however I don't think I have the energy again to go down this path again, agh...... I could be wrong. Now Live Streaming, this is the future man.... the public just need to learn how to connect their PC, Mac, Laptops etc... and become educated that Streaming has fantastic content available. I hardly ever watch TV anymore due to the fact that everything and I mean everything is now available on the NET and mostly for FREE. Sorry for my rant, I'm just sooo into it.

September 9th, 2016, 04:29 AM	#19
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Streaming enables resurgence in areas abandoned by traditional TV companies Hi Simon That's no rant! That's pure enthusiasm and an intelligent look at the future of live broadcasting. When I started to get into it I was more excited than I have ever been and still get excited over the prospects. There seems to be one major obstacle which is educating the public about the massive potential and I'm not sure how that should be done ... even with weddings brides are proving a huge block for me simply because they don't understand that they can get a wedding video the same as before except (because the event is edited live) they don't have to pay the videographer to sit for a week putting together a hundred camera clips. What seems perfectly logical to us is a mystery to the general public. Your market is massive. I mean how many young ladies do you see when you are out that DON'T have a mobile phone glued to their hand ... I bet only a tiny proportion of those watch conventional TV and they are a powerful market for manufacturers and services, yet the same manufacturers will spend millions advertising on TV !! If one could find funding for a Community channel education would spread like wildfire and people would watch "internet" shows on their phones or tablets.