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.

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.

Boxee Looks So Cool… Let Me In!

Boxee is sort of a mashup of AppleTV, DVR and Sling.Box but looks so much cooler:

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There are only two problems:

1) It is still in beta and they have yet to send me an invite.

2) It feels a bit like a technological placeholder than an actual evolution.  It is one big step closer to a full integration of web and cable but it is not the final step by any stretch of the imagination.

Still, in the meantime, it looks pretty sweet.

Hey, Boxee, can I please get an invite?

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