TV Everywhere Picks Up Speed Cablevision Pacts With Turner; Univision Eyes ’12 Debut
By Todd Spangler Multichannel News 9/19/2011 12:01:00 AM http://www.multichannel.com/article/474045-TV_Everywhere_Picks_Up_Speed.php The “TV Everywhere” walled-garden party is getting more crowded, as the industry looks to load up the authenticated-video buffet table — and to keep people paying for cable TV. In the latest moves, Cablevision Systems climbed on board the TV Everywhere bus with Turner Broadcasting System, offering access to the programmer’s full suite of online video services, and Hispanic broadcaster Univision said it’s focused on delivering a TV Everywhere product with the debut of three cable networks early in 2012. Cablevision’s iO TV customers can now watch fulllength episodes from TBS, TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and TruTV on the Web and on iPads, iPhones and iPod Touch devices — over any Internet connection. That’s in contrast to Cablevision’s Optimum App, which provides 300-plus linear channels and video- on-demand titles, but only within a subscriber’s home. Still, many consumers balk at the high cost of pay TV, which TV Everywhere by itself does nothing to address. Up to 20% of U.S. cable, satellite and telco TV subscribers may cancel service in the next few years, primarily because they find multichannel video services too expensive, according to survey results issued by Credit Suisse last week. More broadly, Cablevision’s strategy is to deliver any video content, including over-the-top services, to subscribers to any device they want, chief operating officer Tom Rutledge said, speaking last week at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment conference. By embracing “over-the-top,” operators could mitigate rising programming costs, he said. “Our goal is to put everything that’s on the Internet on all the screens in the house,” Rutledge said. “We’re moving rapidly to make that technology work even better, and we think within a matter of months we’ll have a very robust system where customers can take their Netflix product, whether they have a device that carries Netflix or not, or Hulu or any other over-the-top service and put it on the TV.” Turner, with the Cablevision TV Everywhere deal done, last week launched a series of 11 ads promoting the authentication services for TBS and TNT, provided through eight cable, satellite and telco TV affiliates. The ads feature talent from the two networks, including TBS’s Conan O’Brien. Spots began airing Sept. 12 across several Turner networks, including TNT, TBS, CNN, HLN, CNN Airport, TruTV and Adult Swim. The programmer is not providing details about the value of the campaign, according to spokeswoman Karen Cassell. In addition to Cablevision, the TNT and TBS authenticated services are available through Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network, Cox Communications, Suddenlink Communications, Verizon Communications’ FiOS TV and AT&T’s U-verse TV. Conspicuously absent is erstwhile corporate cousin Time Warner Cable. The TNT and TBS spots tout an array of ways for viewers to watch full episodes, clips and other content from any Internet connection and via multiple devices. Turner, which has led the TV Everywhere movement among cable programmers, also posted a tutorial showing viewers how to log in to the TV Everywhere websites and apps. Univision, for its part, expects to debut an authenticated component alongside its planned launches next year of Univision TL Novelas — slated to bow in the first quarter — as well as Univision Deportes and a still-unnamed news channel, according to Univision president of distribution, sales and marketing Tonia O’Connor. “TV Everywhere is absolutely the focus for our company,” said O’Connor, who spoke last week at an event hosted by the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications. Viewers “want to watch their novelas on the Internet … There’s a lot of pent-up demand.” Univision has not announced distribution deals for those networks. Th e company declined to say whether it is requiring TV Everywhere access as part of those agreements or offering it as a carrot to affiliates to gain carriage. Univision’s TV Everywhere apps will provide access to primetime dramas, news and sports (primarily soccer), which largely have been unavailable anywhere except on the broadcaster’s linear TV service. The company has the exclusive distribution rights to about 90% of its content, O’Connor said. “Our content has never been syndicated,” she said. “We’re probably one of the only [broadcast networks] that has not made our content available for free on the Internet.” Moreover, Hispanics overindex on mobile and broadband usage, O’Connor noted, making them a ripe audience for TV Everywhere services. “Over-the-top providers have shown us that consumers want their content when they want it, where they want it,” she said. Univision is expecting to generate ad revenue from the TV Everywhere apps, whereas video-on-demand has been a disappointment, O’Connor said. “I really hope TV Everywhere is not what we experienced with VOD,” she said. “Operators did not promote it” and there was no advertising model. -- ================================================= George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923 Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927 Political Science Mail: antunes at uh dot edu University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-3011 _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
