Why Entertainment Will Drive the Next Checkin Craze

In recent months, a crop of services have popped up that re-purpose the checkin concept, popularized by Foursquare, and connect it to media and entertainment, as opposed to location.
In theory, the idea of checking-in to cultural concepts (like media, music, etc.) and not places is one that doesn’t jive in the real-world. It would follow then that the apps that provide this service — GetGlue, Philo and Miso — are silly and far too extreme in ideology to attract anything more than a testbed tech audience.
In practice, this alternative checkin behavior is one that is more cultural and familiar than anything the location checkin offers. In fact, it emulates the way we experience entertainment in our everyday lives. The desire to share is unchanging — it’s how we share that will continue to evolve with the help of social media and entertainment checkin services.

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The Culture of Entertainment

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Television shows such as Mad Men may not be monster hits when it comes to traditional ratings measurements, but those who do watch tend to do so religiously and with a fervor nearing obsession.
Watching Mad Men is a shared experience, whether you’re at a viewing party or alone in your bedroom, simply because of the culture surrounding the show. There’s a connected feeling you get when you experience a new episode for the first time. That’s why passionate viewers, if they’re socially inclined, are the type of people who will no doubt run to Facebook() and Twitter() to share their anticipation and viewing experience with the world.

The near-future of TV? It's not on the web

People check out new TVs at the International Consumer Electronics Show in January

(CNN) -- With all the free video on the web these days, or compelling new video devices such as Apple's iPad, it's tempting to get excited about the day you can fire your cable or satellite TV company and get all your entertainment from Internet streams.
But having spent a few years as an early adopter trying to do this -- a "Hulu household," I called it -- and recently caving in and resubscribing to cable, it's clear to me that the future of TV is simply more TV.
At least for the next several years, the way most people consume video in their homes isn't going to change much. There may be new gizmos and services to complement or extend your home video entertainment. But the vast majority of television is still going to be watched the old-fashioned way -- on a TV set, from a cable or satellite provider.

Why I Caved, Bought Cable TV, And Gave Up On My 'Hulu Household'

have a confession to make.
Late last month, I walked into the Time Warner Cable store on East 23rd Street in Manhattan and sat down with a saleswoman. I left a few minutes later with a bright orange shopping bag, a new Scientific Atlanta digital cable box, and $80+ monthly digital cable subscription.
Okay, that's not too out-of-the-ordinary. Time Warner Cable added 56,000 new digital TV subscribers last quarter, finishing the year with almost 9 million subs. I wasn't alone.
But by buying cable, I was a failure. I was admitting defeat. I was caving in to The Man.
Why? Because I'm the guy who, almost two years ago, returned my Time Warner Cable set-top box to that same store on 23rd Street. I proudly vowed to get all of my TV content from the Internet forever -- becoming a "Hulu household," as I called it.