TV Everywhere Scheme Includes Ads Everywhere, Too

So, Comcast is getting ready to roll out its attempt to compete with Hulu and Bittorrent and the host of other options to watching traditional cable television, something they have given the misnomer of “TV Everywhere.”

As defined by NewTeeVee:

TV Everywhere is an authentication system whereby certain premium content (TV shows, movies, etc.) are available online — but only if you can prove (or “authenticate”) that you have a subscription to a multiservice operator (e.g. cable, satellite, telco TV).      LINK

So, by everywhere, they don’t actually mean, say, being able to download the show to watch offline on an iPhone or to burn onto a DVD to take on a trip.  Sure, the same can be said for Hulu or any other streaming solution, but it isn’t TV Everywhere.

Now comes word that TV Everywhere will also include ads everywhere:

The Wall Street Journal follows up this morning with a story about how shows from OnDemand Online participant Turner, including My Boys and The Closer, will both carry their full load of ads from traditional TV, which is more than four times as many ads than the typical ad load on many sites. And as a bonus (for advertisers), the ads can’t be skipped.       LINK

So, once again, the corporate giants are making the key mistake of pretending to offer a better service when they are really offering something less than what is already readily available.  Unlike, say, DVR’ing a show and being able to fast-forward the ads, or watch via Hulu and get limited ads, TV Everywhere forces the viewer to sit through the entire ad-load, something most of us haven’t done for years, outside of major sporting events.

As competition to either Hulu or file-sharing, TV Everywhere strikes me as a weak entrant into the field.  It also doesn’t help anyone who has already severed ties with the cable company for being over-priced and offering poor customer service.

The Myth of Cable’s “TV Everywhere” Plan

A bunch of news about Time Warner and Comcast beginning to roll out a service being called “TV Everywhere.”

TV Everywhere aims to put full-length cable programming online, but require viewers to prove that they have a cable subscription before they’re able to watch. Currently most full-length episodes from cable networks aren’t available on the web.    LINK

Of course, by everywhere, they mean on this one firewalled site.  Forget about downloading an episode and watching in your iPhone or saving it for offline viewing.

While it’s nice to see the cable companies trying to get more programming online, I’m not sure this is the solution that will save them from obsolesence in the coming years.

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NBC Streams US Open Online – Cable Co’s Should Be Scared

Please don’t tell my boss, but I currently have NBC’s live stream of the final round of the USGA Open playing in a corner of my monitor.  Not only is the picture clear and steady but I have quick access to every stat I could imagine.

This should scare the bejesus  out of the cable companies like Time Warner and Comcast.  If NBC can stream live coverage of a major sporting event right to my desktop (which could easily be plugged into my TV) I find myself asking, once again, what the hell do we all need a cable company for these days?

The cable company, much like the major record labels, are quickly becoming unnecessary middlemen who will fight tooth and nail to hold onto their increasingly untenable position due to the wealth created by standing between a provider and a viewer.

Hulu vs. Paying for Cable TV

Just a quick thought:

I can watch last week’s episode of 30 ROCK on Hulu right now for free.

However, if all I had was $80+/month cable TV and I had forgotten to set my DVR to record the show for me I would now be completely screwed.

Seems to me that Hulu, on many levels, offers a superior set of features and benefits when compared to the offerings of basic cable.

Time Warner Cable’s Last Hope (oh, and Comcast et. al.)

There is no denying that cable companies are facing some big challenges to their business model.  Until very recently, the only reliable way to view the vast majority of programming made for TV was to pay a hefty monthly fee to a cable company for the privilege.

Over-the-air, while free, limits selection to the few networks that still offer signals and cable “black boxes” are relatively rare.

Then along came that evil internet to muck it all up for the cable companies. Since the only tangible service provided by the cable company is access, the internet is one big wrench in the works.  See, the internet provides access, too.  Until now, nearly all of that access, whether legal or pirated, was  free.  Suddenly, some people began to wonder just what they were paying all that money to the cable company for.

Well, the cable companies are wondering the same thing.  Instead of looking for a way to offer even more to their customers for a lower price, or some other direct response to the online proliferation of TV on the web, they’ve decided to do what they do best: throw up walls.

Time Warner Cable, the second-largest cable operator in the country, is working with customers here to test a subscriber model for online TV viewing. Residents who pay for HBO can watch “Big Love,” “Entourage” and other programs on their computers, using special software and a personal log-in. People who are not HBO subscribers are barred from the service.

Anyone else see the problem with these approach?

For starters, Time Warner isn’t actually offering anything that great to its paying subscribers since there are plenty of ways to view the same content online for free.  The more paywalls they erect, the more likely it is for piracy to expand in response.

The same would be true if only cable subscribers could access, say, Hulu or TV.com.  While there might be some logic in this approach with a pay-cable network like HBO the argument collapses when applied to network TV shows that are chock full of branded content and ads.

It may well be true that the evolution of technology makes things like cable companies obsolete but that doesn’t mean we should support these kinds of schemes to save them.  If there is no economic reason for cable companies to exist they should cease to exist.

(link)

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CNets Jumps On My Cable-Cutting Band Wagon

Way back in December I severed my Time Warner Cable TV connection because I was tired of paying $100/month for thousands of programs I never watched – oh, and dealing with their notion of customer service gave me nothing but aggravation.

Since then, the economy and new applications like Boxee are making it easier than ever to cut the cord.

CNet has a pretty good roundup of set-top boxes that let you move the internet-video experience to that big flatscreen monster in your living room:

I’ve done a little digging through the CNET Reviews archives to highlight the top 10 boxes/computers for accessing video-on-demand content via the Web. Here’s a brief summary of each, in no particular order. You can see at a glance what makes each one cool and what makes it not so cool. And you’ll get a general idea of how much each one costs.

I’m sorry to say that I haven’t found a box that offers me everything from all the top movies and TV shows to the best local and live TV programming. But the market is still evolving. And I promise you that the landscape could look very different in another 18 months, so stay tuned. (via)

Of course, if you don’t want to spend money on what is basically place-holder technology, you can just run a cable from your computer to your TV and enjoy.

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Forget Skin-a-max, Hardcore Porn PPV Key to Cable’s Future

It has long been one of the cable TV’s dirty little secrets, but PPV porn is a major profit maker for companies like Comcast and DirectTV.  In the past, the option to access hardcore porn via PPV was not loudly touted, but it seems like these troubled times call for some changes:

Late last year, Rupert Murdoch’s DirecTV quietly ended its moratorium on hyping adult video-on-demand offerings on other channels. Meanwhile, the nation’s largest cable company, Comcast may soon start promoting adult content, though on a region by region basis, insiders say.(via)

Of course, many wonder how much longer cable co’s can compete against the internet, a technology, some would argue, designed largely as a cheap/free porn delivery service. Much like non-porn content, people will tend to take the easiest path toward acquisition. PPV offers a quick, simple delivery method and a high-quality picture.

It’s not clear if the ability to offer hardcore porn on demand via a cable box is going to be enough of an incentive to keep people hooked up, however, considering that online porn does not require an existing cable subscription.

Finally, it’s generally not a good sign when your business has to rely on this sort of content to stay profitable – unless your business is porn.

How Much is Cable TV Worth Online?

Time Warner is announcing plans of its own to offer broadband streaming access to their channel offerings, for a price.  Right now it sounds like they will include access in existing bundles and may have an option for broadband only access in the future. (more here)

This raises a few questions:

1) If the majority of the content is streaming only, does that mean all programming will be available on-demand at any time or only when it is “aired” on TV? There isn’t a lot of value-added if all one gets is to watch what would be on TV, but on your computer.

2) Considering almost everything on TV is already available online what will Time Warner offer that I can’t already get, often for free?

3) What’s really in it for the broadcasters?  Why should NBC let Time Warner distribute their content online when they seem to be having plenty of luck doing it themselves via Hulu?

4) It seems highly unlikely the Time Warner offering will include the ability to download content meaning that there will still be plenty of reasons to pirate.

To say that I am skeptical of these plans is not over-stating things.  The whole notion of a centralized distributor like TWC that actually doesn’t provide a legitmate service feels dated and increasingly obsolete.

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NYT Confirms Drop in Cable Subscriptions

I cut my cable TV subscription with Time Warner Cable close to six months ago (link) and haven’t missed it for one second.  Not only was the service an increasing burden on my finances but I was realizing what many others are starting to see – nearly everything is online now and for free or a nominal charge.

Like the millions of Americans who are ditching their landlines and relying solely on cellphones, these cable cutters are using new technology to redefine what is necessary and what is accessory, watching television when they want as opposed to when it is broadcast, and saving a few dollars.

“So many of my friends treated cable as a utility, that it wasn’t a home until it was set up,” said Nick Jackson, 24, who lives on the Lower East Side and works in publishing. “I basically chose Internet over the cable.” (link)

While I am sure the cable companies will try to find ways to “force” viewers back by trying to limit what gets online, we all know that this is a losing battle.  Cable companies will likely find they have to significantly drop their rates and add things like ala carte channel selection if they want to have any chance of competing with the internet, especially when it comes to new subscribers.

This is the true challenge with cable companies.  Most current subscribers are used to the ease and simplicity of cable and might not think they are savvy enough online to replace cable with pure internet but for new potential subscribers who are perhaps just out of college or their family home are well-versed in online options and likely to be short on cash.  It will be a pretty easy choice when faced with cable or internet.

It doesn’t help that cable companies like Time Warner, Comcast and CableVision often have near-monopolies in their given zone and have become lazy or inept when it comes to responsive customer service.

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Cable Companies Try to Get Some Online Pie

There are plans brewing for cable companies like the atrocious Time Warner Cable to begin offering “exclusive” online streaming access for subscribers to programming currently not being offered via sites like Hulu.

Top cable-television providers and TV networks are exploring a sweeping solution to the threat of online video: putting large numbers of cable shows online, but accessible only to cable subscribers. (via)

Let’s take a quick look at why this is destined to fail.

1) They consider online video a “threat” that they can somehow defeat when it seems pretty clear that online video is here to stay.

2) Cable companies think they are going to be able to make content accessible only to cable subscribers. Our short internet history has shown pretty clearly that these “gated communities” are easily and quickly circumvented by those unwilling or unable to gain access “legally.”

3) By attempting to lock up content behind over-priced and inflexible walls pirates will simply be more motivated to  offer consumers a superiour alternative.

4) Right now I can find and view just about any TV program online without subscribing or paying via any number of legal, quasi-legal and illegal streaming sites not  to mention the myriad p2p solutions.  Cable is not likely to be competitive with this offer.

5) Attempting to build a business model on the concept of “scarcity” when your product is a digital video file that easily copied and distributed and then trying to charge for this artificial scarcity is just plain absurd.

3)

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