Will the Internet kill SNL?

Opinion

Oct 4, 20061 min

“Saturday Night Live” has survived three decades, 6 presidents, Charlie Rocket’s F Bomb and a revolving door of talent. Each time some critic proclaims “This is the end,” the show bursts back. But has it met its match in the Internet? As I read Tom Shayles’ review of the 32nd season premiere (which I didn’t watch) I was struck by this line: “During a commercial break, viewers were told they could see ‘the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live” – even though that’s what they were watching – later on “NBC.com.” Then I saw the YouTube link on tvtattle to the evening’s best moment – news anchor Brian Williams’ cameo (which was pretty funny). Instead of watching the show or even Tivoing it, I caught the best 1:53 and saved 90 minutes of DVR space and fast forwarding. Which makes me wonder: If people watch the show online – or just catch the best bits on YouTube – will there even be a show next season?

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by Michael Cooney

Senior Editor

Michael is a senior editor with Network World focused on deciphering the strategies of many core high-tech vendors such as Cisco, Arista, Juniper, HPE and IBM. Michael has been writing about the industry for more than 33 years and has won coverage awards from ASBPE and FOLIO. He has a BA in Journalism and Technical Writing Certificate from The Pennsylvania State University.

He can be reached at michael_cooney@foundryco.com.