I was recently watching the Eastern Conference Finals, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic, when my cable went out due to a typical Florida thunderstorm. It was in the fourth quarter with minutes left, so I quickly pulled out my computer to live stream the game. Just then it hit me: TV has evolved into the Age of Digital Media.

In today’s social media environment, video networking sites are popping up over night. As we enter the next-generation of TV, digital media is engaging customers worldwide and TV no longer a single platform for viewership. Missed an episode of The Office? Simply visit Hulu.com – NBC Universal’s latest venture in video networking – and watch the entire show online. Looking for that viral video that everyone is talking about, check out funnyordie.com or youtube.com, two websites that combine user-generated and exclusive content.

With the advancements of social media, consumers are no longer just watching music videos, TV episodes or other shared content. Instead, they are taking viewership to a completely new level by posting feedback on discussion boards or participating in chat rooms to share opinions on the recent cliffhanger, season finale episode of LOST.

With today’s media advancements, what will the future hold? Without a doubt, online video consumption will continue to increase. With the rise of bandwidth intensive services, service providers will consistently need to evolve platforms to satisfy customer demand. You will also see more broadcast stations launch in-depth, web-based applications to reach younger consumers. Finally, we might see customers asking themselves, “Do I really need that flat screen television when I can just use my personal computer to view live streaming video?”