Business Television (BTV) - Adaptations for Education

Business Television (BTV) - Adaptations for Education:

Business television (BTV) is the production and distribution, via satellite, of video programs for closed user group audiences. It often has two-way audio interaction component made through a simple telephone line. It is being used by many industries including brokerage firms, pizza houses, car dealers and delivery services.

BTV is an increasingly popular method of information delivery for corporations and institutions. Private networks, account for about 70 percent of all BTV networks. It is estimated that by the mid-1990s BTV has the potential to grow to a $1.6 billion market in North America with more and more Fortune 1,000 companies getting involved. The increase in use of BTV has been dramatic.

Institution updates, news, training, meetings and other events can be broadcast live to multiple locations. The expertise of the best instructors can be delivered to thousands of people without requiring trainers to go to the site. Information can be disseminated to all employees at once, not just a few at a time. Delivery to the workplace at low cost provides the access to training that has been denied lower level employees. It may be the key to re-training America's work force.

Television has been used to deliver training and information within businesses for more than 40 years. Its recent growth began with the introduction of the video cassette in the early 1970s. Even though most programming is produced for video cassette distribution, business is using BTV to provide efficient delivery of specialized programs via satellite.

The advent of smaller receiving stations - called very small aperture terminals (VSATs) has made private communication networks much more economical to operate. BTV has a number of tangible benefits, such as reducing travel, immediate delivery of time-critical messages, and eliminating cassette duplication and distribution hassles.

The programming on BTV networks is extremely cost-effective compared to seminar fees and downtime for travel. It is an excellent way to get solid and current information very fast. Some people prefer to attend seminars and conferences where they can read, see, hear and ask questions in person. BTV provides yet another piece of the education menu and is another way to provide professional development.

A key advantage is that its format allows viewers to interact with presenters by telephone, enabling viewers to become a part of the program. The satellite effectively places people in the same room, so that sales personnel in the field can learn about new products at the same time.

Speed of transmission may well be the competitive edge which some firms need as they introduce new products and services. BTV enables employees in many locations to focus on common problems or issues that might develop into crises without quick communication and resolution.

BTV networks transmit information every business day on a broad range of topics, and provide instructional courses on various products, market trends, selling and motivation. Networks give subscribers the tools to apply the information they have to real world situations.