| Sumario: | Although surfing the Internet is still considerably more trouble than simply turning on the television, something between the two is in prospect. The World Wide Web and the rest of the Internet look as different as television and cinema from the perspective of the media industry, and the distinction can be thought of as one of “push” and “pull” media: Broadcasters “push” television at viewers so that it arrives on their screen without any effort on their part, whereas film producers must “pull” viewers into cinemas. The Web is “pull” taken to extreme. Viewers are faced with a bewildering amount of competition for their attention, and most of what is offered can be sampled at no cost. Eventually, the excess of choice becomes tough on the viewer. The answer to this problem is to make the Web more like E-mail, “pushing” a site on to viewers' screens without any extra effort on their part. Two programs that have been described as a cross between television and the Web are discussed.
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