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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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.

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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Spy Nation – First Disney, Now Comcast

Following up on the Disney fingerprinting story yesterday comes this rather chilling bit of news from NewTeeVee reporting on plans by cable giant Comcast to monitor exactly who is watching TV:

“The idea being that if you turn on your cable box, it recognizes you and pulls up shows already in your profile or makes recommendations. If parents are watching TV with their children, for example, parental controls could appear to block certain content from appearing on the screen. Kunkel also said this type of monitoring is the “holy grail” because it could help serve up specifically tailored ads. Yikes.”

Yikes is right!  I wonder what sort of people would be ok with this.  Would you be willing to be monitored in this way in exchange for “better” ads?