TV networks slowly are shifting roles. As Seth Godin said, NBC (and others soon to follow) has made a decision that will ultimately impact their ability to leverage their market position in the new media world. In the old days the ‘Big 3’ networks were the distribution point for anything that wanted to be seen on the air. Now that the balance of power in distribution is leaning more and more to the Web, that leverage as a distributor is evaporating.

This simply means that any network that wants its programming to be seen has to compete with a much wider array of media. Eventually this will most likely result in better programming. Until then, old skool networks are missing the boat, and the Big 3, NBC in particular, are losing one of the most valuable assets they possess: market share.