I don’t think, though, that the advertising industry will ever be put out of business by the Internet. It’ll just have to change and adjust to the new way things are viewed. The reason for its existance isn’t going away so I don’t think it will.

I also don’t know if I believe people have completely abandoned their TVs to watch shows online. Or, at least, not nearly enough to justify the thought that TVs will go away completely. I think integration is the key. TVs and computers are going to merge (already are) and I think that’s what writers have recognized. (I think the networks probably have too… they just aren’t as willing to accept it because no one likes change, especially when it’s huge enough to completely change how your organization functions or when it deals with something you don’t know. But the fundamentals of business don’t change and a merged media system would still need the building blocks and foundation that the media moguls can bring it.)

The canceled series argument makes slightly less sense, because as you said, obviously you’re not trying to drive those viewers to the TV (since the show is no longer on the air).

The problem is the networks are operating on what appears to be an antiquated business model — one that looked as the Internet as a source of content, but not an ultimate destination. The writers seem to recognize that some viewers have abandoned TV entirely to watch their shows online (“Gossip Girl” and its renewal is proof enough of that).

On that front, I do sort of understand the AMPTP, since the advertising industry is dealing with that very same shift (which may eventually put us out of business. )