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Similarity Between Portals and Network Television
 

In understanding the position that portals have in the Internet world, it has to be understood that they started off in a similar place as network television did before cable and satellite tv entered the picture. At the time, they were basically the only game in town.

So when other online competitors have entered into the picture, it's not going to have a lot of overall impact in the beginning years of the transformation going on.

Now the difference between television and the Internet is the international markets' ability to access anything online as well; whether in English or their own language. Cable and satellite for the most part carved up the national market.

What's happening online is that many countries are just beginning to have access to the internet in a bigger way, and broadband is still lingering behind in a number of them. But what that does is have them access portals and interact with them in their beginning stages, just like most people have done in the past.

So even if some western countries experience slowing or flattening of growth as far as using portals go, the new people coming on at this time are growing faster than those that are abandoning portals as their choice of experience and content.

The other side of it is older users are starting to understand and use the Internet more in Western countries, and they will make use of portals more than younger users will - at least until they get comfortable with the Internet and understand and find other things that are available to them.

It's almost like thinking about ocean waves that keep running into shore. New customers who haven't had access across the world are gaining that access more, the result is that portals will experience this type of growth until the overall world is generally connected. Even with this new customers things are starting to slow down. In the not too distant future, once the scale is reached worldwide, it's then that the portals will really start to experience a drop - not only in growth - but visitors as well.

Next time we'll talk on why people still will use a portal.