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| Marshal McLuhan |
Bet you didn’t see that coming!!
Marshall McLuhan, the great Canadian philosopher of communication said, ‘The medium is the message’. He envisioned a day when a ‘global village’ would exist, not because of connectivity (wire, fiber or radio waves) but because we all have an innate desire to communicate with those around us. He imagined this desire would drive an unparalleled shift in the communication paradigm.
Earlier today, Rogers Communications announced its $5.2 billion bid had won the exclusive rights to broadcast NHL content. It should be a wake up call for everyone. Storytelling has moved across an imaginary line that once separated media from the message. Just as McLuhan foresaw, the NHL agreement with Rogers and the subsidiary partnership with CBC is poised to bring about a huge change for Canada’s largest audience. It is the kind of change that has not been experienced since Canadians gathered round the radio to hear that first Saturday evening broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) with Foster Hewitt in 1923.
Why is today's announcement important to those of us in the Urban Animal Industry? Because it is a bellwether. This announcement clearly shows the paradigm shift toward central, contiguous portals for specific storytelling is already here. It isn't a big leap to see the importance of a utility like PetLynx that can facilitate storytelling across a specific industry or audience.
McLuhan died in 1980 before seeing the emergence of the Internet but he saw the future with uncanny accuracy. Perhaps some of our friends at Bell may be wishing today they had paid more attention. Owning the HNIC Theme Song does not the leader make. #RogersNHL
- InfoStream Editorial by Larry R. Evans
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