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LDS Church Internet Television?

The Church already has an official internet radio station. I’ve listened to it periodically; I like it. I’m not an avid radio-listener, but, as it progresses and improves, I think I’ll like it even more to listen to from time to time.

Today, however, I received an email from Deseret Book asking me to do a survey. I gladly did, but it turned out that the survey was actually for the Church Audiovisual Department– I’m assuming that they simply asked Deseret Book to send the survey to its list seeing as how Deseret Book is one of the main distributors for LDS media both Church-official and non-official (the fact that the Church owns Deseret Book probably helped, too). I’ve never thought of the Church as creating its own actual entertainment aside from music with the Mormon Tabernacle choir, but this survey has me thinking otherwise.

The survey began with the typical survey questions: male or female? Where do you live? Are you LDS or non-LDS? Monthly income? Education?

Then it began to ask the unexpected:

Are you aware of any of the following Web-enabled devices?

• Roku
• Apple TV
• TiVo
• Wii
• PlayStation 3
• XBox360
• Web-enabled television
• Boxee
• Google TV

If the LDS Church were to produce any of the following types of Internet video content to be viewed via Web-enabled devices on television and/or via the Internet, what type of video content would you watch? Please mark all that apply.

• LDS Talk or Interview Shows
• LDS Church News Magazine
• LDS mini-series
• LDS reality TV
• Mormon Tabernacle Choir performances/tours
• On-going LDS dramatic series
• LDS Documentaries
• Live LDS musical performances
• On-going LDS comedy series
• Animated LDS television programs and films
• LDS music videos
• Made-for-TV LDS feature films
• LDS tributes
• LDS Church News
• Prominent LDS member profiles
• LDS celebrations

I was then asked how long I thought each program I checked should last, and then which of these programs I’d watch on my smartphone.

Since this is coming from the Church’s Audiovisual Department, this can only mean that the Church is considering adding internet television to its multi-media. I don’t know exactly how the Church would go about doing official Church-approved entertainment– if it’d be Church-approved at all– but I’m sure we’d see the standard “This doesn’t necessarily represent the views of the LDS Church nor its leaders and etcetera” disclaimer that we already see on all of the non-doctrinal stuff that comes out of Deseret Book and other media outlets.

Regardless of how the Church will be doing this, this is an exciting development for LDS members. I never watch television myself, but, since the media is becoming increasingly filthy and corrupt and wasteful, this would certainly provide safe, enjoyable entertainment for those who like television. I’d actually be immensely interested in the documentaries personally.

Traditional television is going away, and “free” television is moving to the internet. I’ve been planning to not have any television antennae in my future home, and this will make that quest all the more easier.

If this does happen, I doubt it’ll even begin beta phases before five years pass, but I’m excited to see what it turns out to be.