The television set has always been close to my heart. As well as loving my weekly dose of Hustle and Primeval, the old box in the corner of the living room has been an important part of my job too.
So it’s not surprising that the prospect of being able to watch and buy holidays, clothes, books and films, and check my Facebook page and Twitter, from the comfort of my sofa in front of my flatscreen is an exciting thought.
Game-changer
As television has moved away from analogue towards digital, here at Teletext Holidays we have had to take a futuristic view of where broadcasting is moving and the opportunities that internet-connected television will bring.
And having seen some demonstrations that give a glimpse of the future I can assure you that the most exciting changes in television are yet to come. The impact of internet-connected television in terms of how people buy holidays will be a game-changer for the industry.
But what many in travel don’t realise is that the reality of networked television is only months away. This year will see the long-awaited launch of YouView, the internet-connected system jointly developed by the BBC, ITV, BT, Channel 4, TalkTalk, Arqiva and Five. It claims, quite simply, that it will change the way people watch television for ever. Virgin Media has already launched its own version, the TiVo box.
The genius of these boxes is that they are not complicated to use. It’s basically the plug-in-and-watch simplicity of Freeview, plus internet and video on demand. BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and Demand Five will all be instantly available on your television through one simple set-top box.
Relax and research
And by 2013 all new televisions will simply plug into broadband. The beauty is that this brings internet-functionality into the living room so people can sit back and research their holiday together – as opposed to being hunched over a laptop on the kitchen table.
Video will completely take over from still images and very soon people will be able to virtually ‘try before they buy’ in a much more sophisticated way than at present.
But far from replacing travel agents, I see the new televisions as complementary. It may wean customers away from brochures: moving images, virtual tours, customer reviews and vox pops will feel superior to static pages.
Travel agents can have screens in their offices with instant access to all destination information. But while it’s one thing looking at a glossy television screen, it needs to sit alongside specialist knowledge.
I hope innovative agents will see next-generation television as the ultimate sales tool.
Financial Times writer and Travolution columnist David Stevenson has also tipped internet-enabled TV as a game-changer. Read his take on the topic on travolution.co.uk.