Hmmm, reruns of TV shows on the computer screen. This is what we’ve been working so hard to accomplish? This is the fabulous result of massive broadband penetration? Vinnie Barbarino from “Welcome Back, Kotter” strutting around on the screen, followed by a helping of “Kiss my grits!” from “Alice,” washed down with caring parental guidance from Alan Thicke on “Growing Pains”?
OK, it’s just one lil’ ol’ announcement from America Online and Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution, not the end game of our digital-media future. The programming venture that places old TV shows on AOL, scheduled to begin in early 2006 under the name “In2TV,” builds on a series of other recent announcements from media companies that are working furiously to maximize their assets and bring content to new platforms.
This TechWeb article refers to the AOL project as an “online TV network,” but as new programs are created for multiple screens, that terminology will be as misguided as Horshack’s scarf/jacket/hat ensemble.
In October, MTV and Motorola launched an eight episode, original content show for mobile phones. Viacom-owned MTV also developed a broadband version of its 24-hour college network, mtvU, during the same month. Scripps Networks is among the most aggressive dabblers in online homes for its content. Last month, Scripps’ HGTV introduced a new show, “My First Place,” on the Web instead of the TV screen.
All of these examples do more than repurpose made-for-TV format on the Web. They add extra video content, interaction among audience members, and cutesy add-ons like games and polls. The TechWeb article points to a significant stat that surely has motivated content dealmakers:
More than 94 million people, or 56 percent of the online U.S. population, have watched streaming video online, according to Web metrics firm ComScore Networks. Over the last three months ending in June, the average consumer watched 73 minutes of online video a month.
In addition to a sizable audience, there’s the not-so-insignificant fact that publishers and advertisers are getting more comfortable with video ad formats on the Web. AOL’s advertising model incorporates streaming advertising within the content, banners and sponsorships.
As the Newspaper Association of America’s Online Publishing Updated noted yesterday, there’s also movement from hardware manufacturers who see the opportunity to meet emerging needs for time-shifted, on-demand programming. Sony Electronics says that its LocationFree service is now capable of receiving content wirelessly from an individual’s TV, DVD player or digital video recorder. It’s competing for attention with Sling Media’s Slingbox, which also delivers content typically viewed at home to subscribers, no matter where they are.
All of the above are more signs that the digital future will be a multi-faceted thing.
