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Quick Facts
 Projected number of Web users in 2002: 600 million
 Number of Internet Service Providers in Djibouti: 1
 Time it takes to download a 5 MB files at 28.8 Kpbs: 23
minutes
 Number of American families who have broadband: 13,
441, 557 (2002)
 Average number of Web sessions per month (at home):
22
 Average time spend during surfing session: 31 minutes
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The Internet is different from traditional
broadcasting
 ISPs, routers, Java, domain names are words that
reinforce this notion
 Early development of the Internet was among scientists,
computer hobbyists, and businesspeople
 Today, media presence on the World Wide Web is
important and growing
 Streaming media and net broadcasting are examples of
media on the Web
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Teletext and Videotext
 Teletext - providing information via electronic network
CEEFAX - A pioneering information service in Great Britain
delivered information within the ‘blanking’ of the TV signal
Videotex - Experiments in the U.S. sponsored by newspapers
 Videotext - France’s Minitel provided data services via
the national telephone system
 The Source - an early home information utility linked
home computers to a central server
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Prodigy and America Online - Early ISPs
 ISP - Internet Service Provider
 Prodigy differed from earlier services
Provided monthly services for a flat fee
Used a graphical interface
Contained advertising embedded in the screens
 America Online provided new services
Chat rooms and discussion forums helped AOL distinguish itself
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Early ISPs
 Changes in technology during the 1980s
Modems increased in speed
Telephone access costs decreased
Newer computers like Apple’s Macintosh introduced
ease of use
Color displays replaced black-and-white displays
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ISPs Grow, Business Plans Fail
 World Wide Web and Internet browser (Mosaic) spurred
growth of local Internet Service Providers
 Sudden growth of ISPs challenged AOL, Prodigy and
the Source
 ‘Churn’ became a problem
 Newspapers and broadcasters began experimenting
with content
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Growth of the World Wide Web
 In 1993, Mosaic became the first browser for personal
computers
 Web pages use HyperText Markup Language (HTML)
 Growth of the World Wide Web was instantaneous
 Search engines provided ways for users to navigate
around the Web
 Growth of Internet users
1993, a little over 1 million users
2002, more than 168 million users
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Internet Basic
 Cyberspace - no one owns the Internet
 Internet Society comprised of Internet users
 World Wide Web Consortium develops guidelines and
specifications for the Web
 Standards and protocols are decided upon by voluntary
consultative groups
 Universal Resource Locator (URL) provides a key to
retrieve information on the Web
 Domain names help provide unique addresses
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Common Domains in use
.com - originally set up for business use, now can be
used by anyone
.edu - used by educational institutions
.net - used for organizations directly related to
networking
.org - used for non-profit and other organizations
.mil - for the U.S. military
.gov - for government sites
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E-mail, Browsers, and Messaging
Most popular services on the Internet
E-mail
World Wide Web
Internet Explorer
Netscape Navigator
Messaging services such as Instant Messenger
File sharing and swapping
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Plug-ins
 Plug-ins are ‘helper’ applications that extend the
usefulness of Web browsers
 Examples of plug-ins
Apple’s Quicktime - audio and video streaming
Real Player - audio and video streaming
Macromedia’s Flash and Shockwave - interactive applications
Sun’s Java - interactive applications
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Portals and Communities
 Portal - defined as an ‘entrance’ or ‘doorway’
 Internet Portals - starting places for cyberjourneys
Portals can provide a startup page for browsing
Portals provide link pages and information about other websites
May provide space for advertisers
 Communities - places where people can congregate
Discussion forums - places to trade ideas
Virtual communities - communities of websites, free email
Online games - special interactive game sites
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Top Digital Media Web Properties










Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Top Portals/ Media Properties
Microsoft
AOL Time Warner
Yahoo! Sites
Google
eBay
Terra Lycos
About-Primedia
Amazon
United States Government
The Gator Corp.
Source: Neilsen Net Ratings October 27, 2002
Unique Visitors (000s)
40,651
38,389
36,106
12,859
10,036
9,454
7,970
7,962
7,500
7,095
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The Bottom Line
 Commerce and advertising revenue- small compared to
broadcasting and cable industries
1995, several hundred million (est.)
1998, 1.5 billion
2001, 5.7 billion
 Dotcom bust in 2000, many companies went bankrupt
 Media companies are looking for a working business
model
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Media Sharing: Napster and Peer-to-Peer Servers
 June 1999, Napster allowed users to search for and
swap music on the web
College students joined Napster almost immediately
 RIAA sued for copyright infringement in December 1999
Metallica and other bands threatened to sue Napster
 In 2001, Court order shut Napster down
 Morpheus and LimeWire examples of peer-to-peer
sharing
 RIAA claims online sales of music down in 2002
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World Wide Web and Electronic Media
 Broadcasters use the web for cross-promotion
ABCnews.com provides streaming of newscast segments
60 Minutes web stories match weekly TV show stories
 National Public Radio allows listeners to download radio
segments on the Web
 Entertainment sites provide information about storylines
and stars on websites
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Radio and Webcasting: Streaming Media
 Online users appear to listen to commercial radio less
 Internet users aged 12- 34 spend less time with
traditional media as Internet usage increased
 57% of streaming media listeners are under age of 35
 Internet users generally feel the Web is ‘cooler’ than
traditional media
 Copyright issues - many U.S. stations pull plug on
webcasting
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MeasureCast Top Internet Radio Stations
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Station
JazzFM
Virgin Radio
KING-FM
MEDI
WQXR-FM
ESPN Radio
KNAC.Com
3WK
Web Address
Format
www.jazzFM.com
www.virginradio.co.uk
www.king.org
www.medimazing.com
www.wqxr.com
www.espnradio.com
www.knac.com
www.3wk.com
Jazz
Hot AC
Classical
Listener-Format
Classical
Sports Talk
Pure Rock
Alternative Rock
Source: MeasureCast Inc. February, 2002
Broadcasting, Cable, the Internet and Beyond
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Changing Face of Web News
 Millions of people check the Web for news and
information
On September 11, 2001 - news-related searches were 60 times
greater than usual
News pictures are posted immediately on the Web
 Like television, the Web is used as a source of up-todate information
 1998 study - 80% of users felt online news sources
trustworthy
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Television on the Web and WebTV
 Streaming TV pictures on the web was difficult
Dial up modems were not fast enough for streaming
Cable modems were not fast enough for full screen, full motion
video
 New MPEG 4 standards - improved picture fidelity
 Many sites are currently streaming video clips
CNN.com and CBSnews.com stream news
Real Networks, movie studios and gamers provide interactive
experiences
Broadcasting, Cable, the Internet and Beyond
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Advance Technology and the Web
 Web delivery of :
MP3s for music instead of CDs?
Books on tape?
Hard drive VCRs?
Increase of Internet Radio and Television?
Three dimensional viewing?
Broadcasting, Cable, the Internet and Beyond
Chapter 6