Google Chromecast

I was quite excited upon reading about the launch of Google Chromecast. It's something I've been envisioning and hoping would exist for quite some time and I believe is a better foray into TV than Apple TV. With Chromecast, one will be able to plug a tiny device that fits in the palm of your hand into one of your HDMI ports on your TV, connect to WiFi on your smartphone, tablet, or computer and be able to project media from Netflix, YouTube, Google Play, and even your Chrome Internet browser onto your TV. Over time, it will integrate with additional media formats online as well like HBO Go, Hulu Plus, etc.

Beyond being excited by this because of it's practical applications in my life, I believe that this has powerful implications for the value and size of the video industry and to a lesser extent, the online display industry. One potential barrier for the less tech savvy among us to spending more time on our Internet connected devices when watching online content is the fact that we want to have a better home viewing experience on our TV. By removing the hassle of plugging your laptop into HDMI and making it a simple wireless process that just about anyone can figure out, you will see individuals spending more time online and thus being exposed to advertising via the online channels.

For instance, one can easily watch YouTube and other ad-supported video platforms on their TV. This should mean that more individuals are exposed to online video ads more frequently. This should increase their importance relative to traditional TV advertising via cable. Being able to easily browse non-video content on Chrome should also increase exposure to online display ads.

Finally, I think this will help prompt the emergence of more traditional cable channels like TNT as they realize more and more of their audience is not accessing content via cable. It should, I believe, also generate more ad revenue and visibility for online only video-content channels like Funny or Die. Finally, I see it as removing further barriers to entry for individuals / companies to enter the entertainment industry by creating an online-only distribution channel that is not nearly as expensive as getting your channel onto a cable network.

Source: http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/chromecast/#netflix