Traditional TV’s surprising staying power

WHEN CHARLIE BROOKER, the creator of “Black Mirror”, a television series about the social impact of new technology, goes away for the weekend with his family, his young son occasionally encounters something perhaps too barbaric even for his father’s dystopian show: an old-fashioned TV set with channels and a fixed schedule of programmes. Instead of being able to watch whatever he wants at any time, he has to wait until a certain hour on a certain day on a certain channel. “It just strikes him as terrifyingly antiquated,” says Mr Brooker.

That kind of television will eventually be consigned to oblivion. People will be able to pick any show at any time from just a few favourite platforms, like Netflix (where “Black Mirror” resides) or Amazon, as well as Facebook and Snapchat for videos shared by friends and celebrities. Everything from Fox, say, will be on one channel instead of many. And Mr Brooker junior will easily be able to search an army of brands: a Lego channel, a Harry Potter channel, a “Star Wars” channel.

That moment may be drawing nearer, but there are still plenty of obstacles in the way. The internet has already changed...