In an effort to maintain relevancy during a time when online TV viewing
is on the rise, a number of big name cable companies are looking to throw in online companion packages to sweeten the pay-TV equation. The
Wall Street Journal is reporting that top cable providers (namely Comcast and TWC) and TV networks are looking to assemble a large swath of online programming -- some of which has been previously unavailable -- and deliver it only to subscribers. As it stands, loads of shows are available right now for free via
Hulu and
broadcast websites, but some channels without online portals can only be caught via cable. From what we're gathering, it seems that these operators could be working to bring some of that content to the web, essentially providing a means to tune into a Comcast or TWC lineup without having to be in front of the set-top-box.
Update: Due to some quotes taken out of context, we have revamped our story above to show a clearer picture of the cable companies' intentions.
posted Feb 20th 2009 10:04AM
one more reason to pirate video.... Come on people, when are you gonna realize that your business model (paid cable tv) is obsolete! I personally never understood why we PAY the cable companies for ad supported TV in the first place. Right now I am completely happy with a combination of over the air programming and online streaming. If Hulu and the rest become only available to subscribers, I will just steal the content...you arent getting me to pay $100 a month ever again!
You're right, you don't understand. TV used to be ad supported and then broadcasters got greedy. Ever wonder why the broadcasters might work on this with the cable companies rather than eliminate them from the equation? Because almost all of a subscriber's monthly bill goes to the broadcasters. I work for a major cable company and let me tell you how it works. If you pay $50 per month for 60 channels, that all goes to broadcasters. Big networks like NBC might get $2-3, while BET or G4 might get 25 cents. The money is made by pay-per-view, service calls, local ads and being an internet/phone provider.
NBC and FOX are looking at stuff like hulu but they see that the ads alone aren't going to give the same money. The good news here though is a few years from now you might be able to pick from several internet based cable providers rather than just getting stuck with whoever you have locally. Even though they'd still be you ISP.
psst... Dude, this is only going to work if you are the exception. Guess what? If everybody steals the content, there won't be any content. But don't tell anybody else.