2007 is undoubtedly the year of "melding of the Internet with television". Of course, the Internet is also being melded with print, radio and every other medium ! But all signs point to online video which recently gained stature, playing an immense role in transforming the face of TV in 2007.

Targeted TV Commercials
The year 2006 was as much the year of Internet search as of online video. This is reflected in the large number of projects which promise to marry or merge (meld) the Internet with television. Of these, one of the most promising projects is based in U.K. - this involves Google & BSkyB's plans to serve context-sensitive TV ads via the digital set top box.

Since each set-top box is an addressable unit and represents a household with its demographic details, it makes sense to "send" ads to the set-top box & play them during commercial breaks, based on information associated with the set-top box. (Targetted, just like Internet ads.)

On another level, consumer electronics giant Samsung is working on a cellphone with a digital TV tuner. And the world's largest cellphone operator Vodafone along with online media giant Yahoo, is testing new models for Internet search based mobile advertising. While Nokia's ex-prez is all set to launch an exclusive mobile service designed for the young!

Consumer Generated Video & TV Spots
By the way, 2007 could also be the year of "economy quality" TV spots! (In a way, this trend also reflects the continuing melding of the Internet with television.Read on to see just how.)

Consider the huge & ever-growing number of viewers who watch amateur online videos - each made with a budget which is well under $ 50/-. These online video clips have been attracting millions of viewers when hosted on online video sites like YouTube, DailyMotion & others. So much so, that even marketing sites like Heavy.com & Revver.com also rely on amateurs to produce promos. which generate viewer interest.

The number of online video viewers are already significant when compared to those who watch TV commercials. And they (tomorrow's consumers) are used to watching low-cost, low quality videos. Ergo: it seems possible, even likely that budgets for at least a section of TV commercials (small advertisers?) may point Southwards - at the cost of lower quality.

The Information Age
The year 2007 may even mark the watershed when advertisers will be able to target moving car drivers - based on their current position ! Yahoo & Dash Navigation are planning to offer advertisers a way to target car drivers based on their current position ! (Much like the plans of cellphone operators, with a better chance of success.)

Entering a search phrase into the in-car Dash navigation system will trigger a Yahoo search on the Web - displaying local results based on current geo-position of the automobile. Whew!

Debut expected in 2007-Q2. Now we know what they meant when they spoke of "the Information Age" !

Newspapers To Go Online
Finally, to the print medium. Newspaper companies who postponed their investments in online technology will be forced to do so in 2007. Major newspapers worldwide have already initiated this process - the rest are expected to follow.

The most likely format can be best described as "news is for free, but pay for the analysis".

In 2006, online services in the U.S.A have booked more classified ad dollars than newspapers. One of the major advertising revenues of any newspaper is "local classified ads", "jobs wanted/jobs available ads" & "tenders/notices". Online services like Monster.com have already wresting the lion's share of "jobs wanted/jobs available ads". Other specialized online services are cornering the "tenders/notices". While online portals & web-sites like craigslist.com & ebay have been steadily chipping away at the "classifieds ads".

So it seems imminent for newspapers to go online with a vengeance - to fight the enemy on their own ground !