Time Warner says no advanced degree needed for device management
Time Warner Chief Executive Jeffrey Bewkes stopped in at the Reuters Global Media Summit and shared his vision for a future where people will get all their entertainment needs on every device, like smart phones, tablets and computers– but said it must be easy for consumers.
“We don’t want in the future for people to have to have a Phd in device management,” Bewkes told Reuters journalists, but stressed that the future of the media business clearly lies on “more and more devices not less,” he said.
Bewkes noted Time Warner was the first company to come up with the idea of putting its network and programming out on demand on all platforms at no extra cost, referring to his TV Everywhere initiative that will offer streaming content free to customers who subscribe to cable.
“There (should be) no extra cost to let you as veiwers watch what you want to watch,” he said.
When asked if there was a future of broadcast on cell phones he said ease was key.
Comcast’s TV Everywhere might actually work everywhere
Comcast’s Interactive Media president Amy Banse talks on this video clip about the launch of TV Everywhere in December at the NewTeeVee Live 09 event. TV Everywhere, for anyone who’s been on Mars for the last year, is the cable industry’s attempt to make cable programming available over the Web for no extra charge to paying subscribers. Comcast’s version of it will actually be called On Demand Online and is currently on trial with 5,000 Comcast homes. This chat with Banse gives some insight into the largest U.S. cable operator’s plans and includes a couple a couple news nuggets for watchers of this space:
- On Demand Online will launch, as previously hinted, this December.
- Banse says users will be able to watch their favorite shows with authentication even when they’re away from home (Is this the death of EchoStar’s SlingBox?). It’s not clear from this interview if out of home on demand will work when a user is outside the United States.
- Each home will have authentications rights to watch their shows on three different devices.
- One issue Banse acknowledges still needs to be sorted out is the right advertising model to help support this new channel. “We’re in the first inning” she says.
Much more here:
Comcast’s Fancast tries TV ads to catch Hulu’s coat tails
When most Americans think of where to catch up with episodes of their favorite TV shows on the Web, they more than likely think of Hulu, the online video site owned by NBC, News Corp and Disney that offers free viewing of TV broadcast shows and archive movies. Second to Hulu would probably be YouTube.But not Fancast. Despite being owned by the largest U.S. cable TV operator Comcast, it doesn’t even make the top 10 video sites in the U.S., according to comScore data. (Hulu is No. 5). One of the ways Hulu became better known was by launching a national TV advertising campaign which kicked off during this year’s Super Bowl TV extravaganza. Hulu’s user numbers jumped after those ads — and Fancast hopes for a similar boost.Fancast has dubbed its debut TV campaign “See It For Yourself” and will feature a series of five spots with recaps of shows including CSI Miami, Glee, NCIS, How I Met Your Mother and Gilligan’s Island. Three TV spots will debut on CBS and also on targeted national cable networks. See the Fancast/CSI ad here: The campaign also features an online push and an outdoor drive with interactive bus shelters around the San Francisco area.In truth, beating Hulu might not be Comcast’s biggest prize. It’s more likely to have its eye on its On Demand Online /TV Everywhere initiatives, which aim to make popular cable shows available on demand to paying subscribers. Fancast will be one of Comcast’s key platforms for that new service when it fully rolls out so building awareness of the site now is important.(Photo: CSI Miami’s David Caruso/Reuters)
Grey’s, Wives on Hulu from today
Starting today Disney content will go live on Hulu, consumating a deal that was struck earlier this year to join the two-year venture with NBC Universal, News Corp and Providence Equity Partners.
The first few shows include popular fare from ABC such as Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty. This means Hulu is going from strength to strength in locking down its leadership as the place for watching TV on the Web.
Part of the attraction of Hulu is that it is free for U.S. residents, since most of the content can be watched for free over the air in the U.S. But we wouldn’t be surprised if Hulu’s owners added a paid service as part of the TV Everywhere initiative players like Time Warner have been promoting. Such a ‘paid-for’ service would actually be free if the customer is already a paying cable/satellite TV subscriber.
Hulu is also making strides to launch in the UK soon.
In the meantime, if you’re stuck at your desk tomorrow at 9.30am PST (12.30pm EST) you can watch the Michael Jackson service live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The broadcast is being provided to Hulu by half-sister network Fox News. After the live-stream, Hulu will also offer on-demand access of the entire memorial service.
TV Everywhere’s high priest Bewkes keeps preaching
One day soon you’ll be able to watch your TV everywhere: online, on-the-go, your phones, just about everywhere and Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes wants you to know about it and believe it.
Bewkes, perhaps relieved to talk about something other than how best to get rid of AOL , took the opportunity on Time Warner’s first quarter earnings call to share more of his vision for how he plans to free your favorite TV shows from the shackles of the cathode ray tube box (yes, some of us still own those).
The way Bewkes sees it if you’re already subscribing to a TV channel at home, you should be able to watch it for free on broadband from any provider, wherever and whenever you want.
As he told analysts on Wednesday:
Over 90% of U.S. households already paying for television, programmers will be able to give consumers even more for their money. There’s a tremendous level of interest in TV Everywhere across the industry, and we’re working with several distributors on a trial slated for the second half this year.
But Bewkes was light on the details, such as how you overcome the technical challenge of “authenticating” subscribers’ access to programming when they might take video from one company; Internet from another and wireless connection from a third provider. Bewkes told analysts:
It seems pretty simple from the network’s point of view, it’s also pretty clear any channel network that’s got dual revenue streams has clearly got a benefit in making that channel and brand loyalty move across any platform or device because if I just speak for our company, it’s good for TNT or HBO that if you’ve got it in your home you can watch it out of your home and on (video on demand), and that we can then maintain the subscription payment you’re already making and the ad sales cross platform ability that’s in the media.
Miranda here- I think that TV Everywhere is a ground breaking technology that most people will become users of. With today’s generation being a generation that never stays in one place for to long, this is going to take off. So many people have to travel for work, family and leisure. Why pay for something that you cant take you? Now you don’t have to. I have to say that only a small percentage of users use enough bandwidth to cause pain to ISPs. Thus the reason some companies have implemented usage caps, however most people don’t go near the amount of usage it takes to cause problems to the ISP back-end infrastructure. Being an employee of DISH, I had experience with this function before I even purchased it and now that I did; it runs so much smoother than I initially thought. It all takes knowledge and understanding of what you are getting and how to utilize it to the best way possible. I love it, especially when we go on road trips! It definitely came in handy now during the holidays!
