Another recent Conference that was mentioned by Heath. This one was at MIT this past weekend.

What is the role of television in specific societies or regions today? How is this role changing? What part are digital technologies and new systems of communication playing in this transition? What are the likely outcomes of present trends? What are the darkest possibilities? What does the history of television in diverse countries and regions tell us about its possible futures? The third Media in Transition conference centers on television's political and cultural role at the dawn of our new millennium. [Media in Transition 3: Television in Transition]

I thought quite a few of the abstracts listed looked pretty interesting. I'm still waiting for someone to write more about the growth of anime viewership in the US. Between places like Cartoon Network and TechTV and people downloading fansubs of shows I keep seeing more and more growth. With current technology and distribution methods it is possible to watch an episode of a show within days of it airing. I'd be curious to see how much of this occurs before someone realizes there may be a market for this.