Television audiences and its industry alike have been confused by the emergence of new ways to watch television. On one hand, the programs seem every bit like the television we’ve long known, while the ways we can watch, what we can watch, and the business models supporting these new forms of television differ significantly.

This talk draws from my forthcoming Portals: A Treatise on Internet- Distributed Television, which pushes understandings of the business of television to keep up with the considerable technological change of the last decade. It explains why shows such as Orange is the New Black or Transparent are indeed television despite coming to screens over Internet connection and in exchange for a monthly fee.

Instead of conceptualizing internet-distributed television as wholly different from broadcast- and cable- distributed television, I identify the characteristics that distinguish portals and explore strategies through which portals differentiate themselves.