he rising use of broadband, personal video recorders and mobile telephones to access television programming poses a serious threat to the business model of traditional network TV, as advertising breaks become redundant, according to a recent report. Research from consultants at accountancy firm Deloitte & Touche shows that growth in on-demand TV, new TV services and broadband is putting mass audiences out of the broadcast industry�s reach. This threatens the tried-and-trusted revenue model of showing ads to a captive audience of millions, and forces networks to look at new ways of getting their product to viewers, the report says.

Jolyon Barker, head of the media practice at Deloitte, said that the growth of digital TV globally and accompanying deterioration in network audiences would force broadcasters to look at other platforms as they seek to lessen their reliance on advertising.... more