Internet Will Revolutionise TV, Says Gates

Traditional broadcasting will make way for IPTV functionality in the next five years, according to Microsoft chairman, Bill Gates.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Gates predicted that the internet would revolutionise television due to an explosion of online video content and the merging of PCs and TV sets.

“I’m stunned how people aren’t seeing that with TV, in five years from now, people will laugh at what we’ve had,” he told politicians and business leaders.

“Certain things like elections or the Olympics really point out how TV is terrible. You have to wait for the guy to talk about the thing you care about or you miss the event and want to go back and see it. Internet presentation of these things is vastly superior.”

Convergence is coming, he said, posing new challenges for TV companies and advertisers.

“Because TV is moving into being delivered over the internet – and some of the big phone companies are building up the infrastructure for that – you’re going to have that experience all together,” he said.

YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley said the impact on advertising would be profound, with the future promising far more targeted ads tailored to each viewer’s profile.

“In the coming months we’re going to do experiments to see how people interact with these ads to build an effective model that works for advertisers and works for users,” he said.

The rise of broadband video delivered over the internet has been more spectacular, but for most people it is still not a substitute for watching television.

Microsoft: 0870 60 10 100 www.microsoft.com/uk