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Time Warner Cable Pulls Some Channels From iPad App, Adds Others

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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093047-twcable_tv_ipad_email.jpg

As we noted yesterday, Time Warner Cable's popular live TV application for the iPad has faced opposition from a number of content providers who believe that the implementation is a violation of their agreements with the cable company. Time Warner Cable has rolled out a dedicated site to garner support from customers and keep them informed on the situation.

As noted on that site and in an email to customers, Time Warner Cable has at least temporarily pulled a number of channels from application as it seeks to focus on content providers actually interested in embracing the new technology while also pursing a resolution to the disputes using any means necessary.And, while most TV network owners agree with us that this is a great convenience for our customers and their viewers, a few networks disagree. As a result, for the time being, we have decided to focus our iPad efforts on other enlightened programmers who understand the benefit and importance of allowing our subscribers - and their viewers - to watch their programming on any screen in their homes.

Unfortunately, that means that channels from network groups Discovery Communications, Fox Cable, and Viacom will be removed from your iPad lineup, effective immediately.

- Discovery channels: Animal Planet, Discovery, TLC
- Fox channels: FX, National Geographic
- Viacom channels: BET, CMT, Comedy, MTV, Nickelodeon, Spike, VH1In the email sent last night, Time Warner promised that it would be adding new channels as early as that evening to compensate for the removals, and the company appears to have done so today. Unfortunately, however, the list of new channels appearing on our device is generally of lower quality than those channels that have been removed.

New channels: CNBC World, C-SPAN, C-SPAN 2, C-SPAN 3, Chiller, Disney XD, G4, Home Shopping Network, Jewelry Television, QVC, Sleuth, Soap Net, Style, Golf Channel, and WE tv.

Time Warner has promised to continue working to expand the list of channels available through its iPad application.

Update: Time Warner has now also added ESPNews and the Independent Film Channel, along with a trio of Time Warner local news channels available to subscribers in the New York City (NY1 and NY Noticias) and Austin, Texas (YNN Austin) markets.

Article Link: Time Warner Cable Pulls Some Channels From iPad App, Adds Others
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/04/01/time-warner-cable-pulls-some-channels-from-ipad-app-adds-others/
HiVolt

HiVolt

macrumors 68000
Sep 29, 2008
1,649
6,050
Toronto, Canada
Gotta love the old dinosaurs, they never want to adapt to new technologies...

Who cares if its being shown on a TV or an iPad? Obviously the iPad app owner must be a cable subscriber to view the content, so its paid for.
 
Satori

Satori

macrumors 6502a
Jun 22, 2006
761
6
London
Do these companies really want people to pay for the same content twice? Surely they can't realistically expect to a get premium for viewing in the same location but just through a different medium?

Sadly, this doesn't surprise me at all.
 
K

kcmac

macrumors 6502
May 22, 2002
472
9
Nice thought by TimeWarner. However, the stations that people want to watch weren't on the first run of the app and now they have removed any remaining ones that were interesting.

This app will go nowhere. And TimeWarner certainly isn't innocent in this little battle. They love to put the stations on the bad guy side of the ledger. As a customer, I'm not drinking their koolaid.
 
Popeye206

Popeye206

macrumors 68040
Sep 6, 2007
3,148
836
NE PA USA
Wow... short sighted on the networks part. I'm surprised.... no difference than just having another TV in your house, just on your Tablet. It would be interesting to know more about their motivation behind this... maybe they want to go direct? In other words, maybe Discovery and the other channels want to sell direct subscriptions and not go through channel partners like Time Warner?

If that is the case... I smell disaster for the networks. Who wants to buy individual channels for their computers, iPads or other devices? Not me? It would have to be dirt cheap.

Hummm.... thinking about it... maybe it's not so dumb? If each channel was $.99 and I could pick Ala-carte who I wanted, I know my Cable bill would go from $40 per-month to less than $10. Maybe they are onto something thinking about it?
 
H

horsepowerpro

macrumors newbie
Jun 23, 2010
2
0
Oh Well

Well, it was pretty great while it lasted, but we all kind of saw this coming I think. At least they're replacing these channels with equal alternatives... Comedy Central = Jewelry Television and FX = Home Shopping Network, right? Points for effort at least... After years of bending over its customers, at least TW did do something cool; if only for a couple weeks...
 
rhett7660

rhett7660

macrumors G5
Jan 9, 2008
14,224
4,304
Sunny, Southern California
Popeye206 said:
Wow... short sighted on the networks part. I'm surprised.... no difference than just having another TV in your house, just on your Tablet. It would be interesting to know more about their motivation behind this... maybe they want to go direct? In other words, maybe Discovery and the other channels want to sell direct subscriptions and not go through channel partners like Time Warner?

If that is the case... I smell disaster for the networks. Who wants to buy individual channels for their computers, iPads or other devices? Not me? It would have to be dirt cheap.

Hummm.... thinking about it... maybe it's not so dumb? If each channel was $.99 and I could pick Ala-carte who I wanted, I know my Cable bill would go from $40 per-month to less than $10. Maybe they are onto something thinking about it?
Click to expand...

This is probably why they WON'T do this. I am with you. I wish I could scrap 90% of the channels I get and just get that I watch. Lower my bill by a few bucks, I would be a happy camper. But I don't see that happening anytime soon thou. Who knows though. Maybe this is the beginning!!
 
Loonytik

Loonytik

macrumors 6502a
Jun 2, 2008
526
0
Popeye206 said:
...Hummm.... thinking about it... maybe it's not so dumb? If each channel was $.99 and I could pick Ala-carte who I wanted, I know my Cable bill would go from $40 per-month to less than $10. Maybe they are onto something thinking about it?
Click to expand...

Hahahahaha!

Ala-Carte. No. No, they won't have that.
 
steadysignal

steadysignal

macrumors 6502a
Dec 21, 2010
723
1
Winni said:
2011. People are still watching TV? Scary.
Click to expand...

indeed. the day will come that it wont matter what you watch content on, just how it gets paid for...

wishing that advertising would just die is fun. pipe-dream, but fun nonetheless. everyone wants to be paid.
 
NAG

NAG

macrumors 68030
Aug 6, 2003
2,821
0
/usr/local/apps/nag
If I still watched those channels that pulled their content I would stop to protest. These guys are about as hopeless as the music industry (they haven't been mass suing people yet have they). Sucks for the people who like tv as their entertainment because the industry obviously wants to suck them dry over things like the ability to watch the same shows in your house just on a smaller screen.
 
W

WoFat

macrumors member
May 26, 2008
64
0
Viacom, Schmiacom

Viacom? Oh the humanity! Anyone watch it? Anyone miss it? Anyone Care?
 
Chupa Chupa

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
HiVolt said:
Gotta love the old dinosaurs, they never want to adapt to new technologies...

Who cares if its being shown on a TV or an iPad? Obviously the iPad app owner must be a cable subscriber to view the content, so its paid for.
Click to expand...

Not only that but it's as-if they are completely unaware that Slingbox has been around for years. I get they may not want people to be able to "double dip" but the Slingbox apps prevent that so no reason TWCs can't as well.

Winni said:
2011. People are still watching TV? Scary.
Click to expand...

2011. People are still wasting their time leaving snarky non-sequitur comments on web forums to prove to themselves they are a superior being? Scary.
 
spazzcat

spazzcat

macrumors 68040
Jun 29, 2007
3,683
4,771
The only way we are ever going to get consumer friedly online tv is if the Googles and Apples of the world start creating their own content...
 
R

room237

macrumors 6502
Oct 20, 2008
322
1
Queens, NYC
It would be one thing if the app allowed you view the channels over 3G or other WiFi networks, but you have to be IN YOUR HOUSE. This is ridiculous. I've been considering getting rid of cable altogether, this brings me a lot closer.
 
Full of Win

Full of Win

macrumors 68030
Nov 22, 2007
2,615
1
Ask Apple
The channels that do not participate are just inching that much more toward obscurity.

Just recently we cancelled the cable subscription (still have KylinTV IPTV) for lack of use. Only one TV show was watched per week, and that can be purchased on iTunes in a superior format to what we got via cable, for a fraction of the cost of cable.

If my provider had an app like this, we would have stayed subscribed. Its arcane to sit down in front of a screen at a predetermined time to watch programming, it really is.
 
M

MacFanJeff

macrumors regular
Jan 28, 2008
220
3
IL, USA
Not surpising at all. It's all about control of content and money.

All studios, rather music or movie have always hated the idea of selling content even though it makes them a ton of money. If they could do away with all of it, including DVD sells, they would. What they truly want is for you to pay a fee every time you want to view or listen to content and you never "own" anything period. Nothing physical at all to buy, just pay for it every time you view or listen.
 
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