Flogging a Dead Horse
A couple of months ago I found that the ABC was now allowing people to get their I-View service (internet TV) via the PS3. This meant that we can get most ABC programs through the internet and watch them when we wanted on the TV. There is no need for a video recorder and when can watch them at a time that suits us. The picture and sound quality are excellent and almost rival the digital broadcasts.
It is an amazing piece of technology and I can help wonder why the other commercial stations have not adopted this for their own services. However, it didn't take me long to figure out why. Over the last 3-4 years they have spent billions of dollars trying to get their digit networks up and running. Because they have spent billions on the digital net work, they have also handed over millions in political donations to get all the political parties to agree to get rid of the analogue service.
Now as a business owner we all know that you have to spend money to make money, and the way TV stations make money is through advertising. They are hoping to make back all their money be having everybody watching digital TV ads on their digital TV networks.
But then along comes the ABC and steals their thunder. Through this service they are saying, there is no need to upgrade to a digital TV or get a set top box, just watch the programs of the internet. All the major TV stations are furious. How dare they? How dare they prove to the world that what they have done in building the digital network is just a waste of time and they should have been watching the trends a little bit harder?
So what to do? Well as far as the commercial networks are concerned, the best thing to do is just to push ahead anyway. Ignore everything and just keep going. That makes perfect business sense. Sure, they have made a half hearted effort to put some shows up online, but they haven't quite figured out how to do it properly yet. They are too afraid that if they give you a decent service on line then the billions poured into the digital networks will be for naught.
So what if they are? In business, just like as in life, some time you need to cut your losses and move on. You can't keep trying to make something work if there is no use in making it work, or to use the colloquial term, flogging a dead horse. Once something is obsolete, let it go and move on. You can keep your fond memories, but you have to accept change and keep moving forward.
I see too many people who are too stubborn to let something go because they have put to much time, money and effort into it. This type of action does not bring success, only failure and heart break. Yes, you made the right decision at the time and you tried your best, but now its time to do something new.
So don't be like the TV stations, don't waste your time. Quit while you're ahead and move on. Just because it didn't work is not a problem, you'll will get over it in time, learn from the experience and be better for it.
Remember stubborn people don't get anywhere in life. Live, learn and grow.
Oh and yes I will be getting the PS3 fixed.
Terry Shadwell
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