NBC and CBS Offering OnDemand Episodes

[BornAgainMac]

I hope the shows aren't offered only in Real or Microsoft Media 10 and require a PC to view them.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

I hope this is a blazing failure, as it should be. Obviously, people with DVRs don't need to buy for .99 what they can get for "free." (Not really free since most people pay a monthly fee for TiVo or the DTV DVR service). What is disturbing is that if you take into account the DRM measures that will be baked into future DVRs it could me if you don't want to/can't watch a program when it originally shows you'll have to PAY to watch it later. DVR/VCRs as we know them will cease to exist. This is a far cry from what iTunes is offering.

 

[Peace]

I hope this is a blazing failure, as it should be. Obviously, people with DVRs don't need to buy for .99 what they can get for "free." (Not really free since most people pay a monthly fee for TiVo or the DTV DVR service). What is disturbing is that if you take into account the DRM measures that will be baked into future DVRs it could me if you don't want to/can't watch a program when it originally shows you'll have to PAY to watch it later. DVR/VCRs as we know them will cease to exist. This is a far cry from what iTunes is offering.

I agree completely..

I already pay $90 a month for premium satellite TV with a DVR.Why would I want to pay $.99 for a re-run?

What are the networks going to do about showing re-runs on TV?.
If this takes off there could be a lot of dead air from local television stations.

Paying $1.99 for a show from iTunes is dumb enough.

This takes the cake.

 

[Lertie32]

Diddling demands

This has got to be one of the stupidest things I've seen in product marketing.


This is going to get real redundant in the thread, but the flaws are obvious in...
why is there a 24-hour limit on something I can record FOREVER on the PVR anyways?!?


Possibly there is a shred of sanity in these speculations...
Here's what I'm wondering since the articles aren't detail specific - This could be like pay-per-view all day tickets where it plays for 24 hours AND you can record it on PVR for later/permanent viewing if you want to. Right??? Otherwise it is truly idiotic.

And WHY in the name of anything holy would I pay for something with commercials not cut out?!?!?!?!
Absolutely positively NO freakin' way.


I'm relieved to see that NBC (and hopefully others) are in fact negotiating with Apple for iTMS inclusion and this Comcast/DirecTV stuff seems more directed towards the ipod-less. However, I think the cable companies are just going to rip people off even more. Comcast sucks and Time Warner blows too. Switch to satellite if you haven't already.

I wish NBC and others would hurry up with iTMS inclusion. Frankly my only interest in this whole Apple video endeavor is to watch old show episodes that aren't on DVD yet.

 

[m-dogg]

First, from what I understand you don't have to have Comcast's DVR - you simply have to have a digital box that has access to On Demand. I believe that almost all of Comcast's digital boxes give you access to On Demand. I also believe that the majority of Comast's digital boxes are NON DVR. So many people will be happy to pay .99 to watch a popular network they may have missed. That is the nice thing about this for people without DVRs or VCRs, they can still catch the shows they miss. I think it will do well.

Second, the majority of people do not watch TV or video on their computer. So the response that most people would have to your question would be "what's the point of downloading it to your computer?"

I agree - I can see my parents preferring the on demand approach over iTunes. It's much easier for them to click a button on their remote & get it charged to their cable bill than to purchase it online.

The average MR member is a lot more computer-savvy than the average person...

500th Post!!! Wahoo!!!

 

[m-dogg]

This has got to be one of the stupidest things I've seen in product marketing.


This is going to get real redundant in the thread, but the flaws are obvious in...
why is there a 24-hour limit on something I can record FOREVER on the PVR anyways?!?

I think the point is that if you forgot to record it in advance, and still wanted to see it, the option is there. I don't think it would replace watching it the first time or recording it in advance. Just like how people will not use iTMS to watch lost every week instead of watching it for free the first time it aires...

 

[Lertie32]

PVR already covers this

I think the point is that if you forgot to record it in advance, and still wanted to see it, the option is there. I don't think it would replace watching it the first time or recording it in advance. Just like how people will not use iTMS to watch lost every week instead of watching it for free the first time it aires...

Anybody who has a PVR probably doesn't miss many TV episodes. That's the huge part of the point of even using a PVR. At the beginning of the season you set it to record your shows and it does it all automatically.

I could see it being used as an afterthought in some cases. Like me... I didn't know about or have much interest in "Surface" at the beginning of the season and I didn't set my PVR for it. I have now though since I've heard nothing but good things about the show... but the six episodes I already missed in the season are where this could come in handy...

 

[m-dogg]

Anybody who has a PVR probably doesn't miss many TV episodes. That's the huge part of the point of even using a PVR. At the beginning of the season you set it to record your shows and it does it all automatically.

I could see it being used as an afterthought in some cases. Like me... I didn't know about or have much interest in "Surface" at the beginning of the season and I didn't set my PVR for it. I have now though since I've heard nothing but good things about the show... but the six episodes I already missed in the season are where this could come in handy...

I know tivo lets you record the entire season, but I've heard that cable & sat tv PVRs don't necessarily have all the same/as much functionality that tivo-brand PVRs have.

I don't have any PVR (unless you count Eye TV), so I can't really speak from personal experience on this.

 

[madmaxmedia]

I know tivo lets you record the entire season, but I've heard that cable & sat tv PVRs don't necessarily have all the same/as much functionality that tivo-brand PVRs have.

I don't have any PVR (unless you count Eye TV), so I can't really speak from personal experience on this.

Yeah, you can record all scheduled episodes of a show. Actually, there are plenty of additional options too (at least for the Time Warner box that I used to have.) For syndicated content, you could record only certain days of the week, etc.

 

[Peace]

Yeah, you can record all scheduled episodes of a show. Actually, there are plenty of additional options too (at least for the Time Warner box that I used to have.) For syndicated content, you could record only certain days of the week, etc.

My DishNetwork Satellite system with DVR allows me to record anything at anytime for as many times as I like.I can set up a whole season and have it record.
The only thing I can't do is increase the size of the hard drive.

 

[bommai]

I don't need to have cable/sat for iTunes.

I didn't read the announcements to mean that CBS and NBC won't offer episodes on iTunes or other places as well. The fact that the announcements came on the same day may be an indication that CBS and NBC are trying to negotiate with Apple from a position of strength and make sure they get the right deal.

The big sell of iTunes isn't availability of TV shows; it's portability.

I agree with other posters that DIFFERENT content should not get lost in the shuffle. Download this week's "Desperate Housewives" and get the extra scene they always show on Monday's GMA edited into it. Download this week's "Lost" and get a 4-minute mini-episode delivered to your account on Friday.

I have a HDTV with a builtin HDTV tuner. I get all my programs through a off-air antenna. If I do want to buy an episode through iTunes, I can do it without paying a monthly subscription to cable/satellite. However, the CBS/NBC deal will require the person to already have subscriptions!!

I guess I should get an eyeTV 500 before the broadcast flag becomes a law, however I am holding off because my mac is not fast enough to play HD and I would like a settop box that is worth the money. Hope apple is working on one. Also heard Elgato's CEO is now Apple Germany's head.

 

[m-dogg]

My DishNetwork Satellite system with DVR allows me to record anything at anytime for as many times as I like.I can set up a whole season and have it record.
The only thing I can't do is increase the size of the hard drive.

Good to know. Then I guess it would only be the type of scenario that Lertie32 mentioned, such as getting turned on to a show mid-season and wanted to catch the earlier episodes.

Yeah, seems there's never enough hard drive space, huh? That was one of the reasons I chose Eye TV over a Tivo (my cable company doesn't offer PVRs unless you have digital cable, which I don't).

 

[m-dogg]

Also heard Elgato's CEO is now Apple Germany's head.

Really? I wish Apple would buy out Eye TV and build their technology into the computer, so I didn't have to connect a separate box to my iMac.

 

[EricNau]

Yah right. Never mind the fact that such an opinion is relative to taste. Does ABC have Surface? Does ABC have CSI? Does ABC have Law and Order? Does ABC have The West Wing?

First of All, according to statistics, ABC has the most popular shows. There's no arguing that. (Even Jay Leno makes fun of NBC for being pathetic, and he's on NBC!)

Also your borderline snobbish attitude about it not being on iTunes is part of the reason why people hate Apple and the iPod. I still agree because one thing the MR summery totally misses is that you need Comcast's DVR or DirectTV's DVR to download the content and as such you are limiting your user base to only a small percentage of users. If you can’t download it to your computer then what’s the point?

I'm not being snobbish, I'm saying what NBC and CBS are doing, is charging for something, that I can already get for free. - I could either just use my Tivo, and "tape" CSI (or whatever) for free, or I could pay for it, and then within 24 hours it would be gone. It's stupid!

 

[Mechcozmo]

Let them come crawling back... good job Apple. Did it with music, and I predict it will happen again with video.

(Despite the odd name, iTunes will do video!)

 

[iMeowbot]

So in order to pay $1 to watch an episode of a show that you missed, you need what exactly? They mention the DVR in the article, making it seem like you'd need the DVR to access the service (paying extra for the DVR of course)... so... why not record the show in the first place?

For the DirecTV deal, they are offering a 100% rebate on the recorder. The Comcast situation, I think varies by region, but in areas where they've gone digital a recorder is pretty much standard fare now.

Of course they probably have some plan to monkey around with the timeslots to try to trip up the DVRs and force people into paying $1 per episode.

I don't think that's something that will be in their control, at least not on Comcast.

In general with this thread I don't think this has much at all to do with Apple. It's a different type of service for a different type of customer.

 

[xy14]

Great Idea!!!

Apple should get WB to allow iTunes to sell every episode of Friends from all ten seasons.

Except, I'd need a huge-a$$ hard drive to hold all those titles, and yes, I would buy every one.

 

[Mechcozmo]

There are quite a large number of people who do not have DVRs, but do have iTunes. iTunes is a free download as well, and free to set up. DVRs are not.

Hell, you can just pay for an internet connection and not even pay for a T.V. if you wanted to, but cable is usually bundled nowadays. So iTunes is cheaper to use than a DVR. $1.99 an episode vs. $299 for a DVR... Yeah, that can change with rebates, and yes, iTunes will get more expensive over time, but it is interesting to note that the initial setup is free and thus iTunes can hook people in and thusly get them forever and ever into iTunes!

 

[synergy]

First of All, according to statistics, ABC has the most popular shows. There's no arguing that. (Even Jay Leno makes fun of NBC for being pathetic, and he's on NBC!)

What stats are you reading? Nielsen shows of the top ten shows, CBS has 7 and ABC has 3. http://tv.yahoo.com/nielsen/

Of the top 20 ABC only has 6 in that list. While CSI, Lost and Desperate Housewives are all usually in the top three, that does not make ABC the one with the most popular shows just because they have two in the top three.

 

[EricNau]

What stats are you reading? Nielsen shows of the top ten shows, CBS has 7 and ABC has 3. http://tv.yahoo.com/nielsen/

Of the top 20 ABC only has 6 in that list. While CSI, Lost and Desperate Housewives are all usually in the top three, that does not make ABC the one with the most popular shows just because they have two in the top three.

I don't see Lost on that list, and I know for sure it is somewhere in the top 20, so how reliable is that?

According to what Steve Jobs said, Lost and Desperate Housewives were 1 and 2. And according to reports on TV, for the past year, they have all said ABC was first, and NBC was last (CBS & FOX were 2 & 3 but I don't remember which was which).

Also, I'm sorry if I came off as snobbish about being on iTunes, because I'm not, but really, think about what NBC and CBS are doing. It's like they are trying to compete with iTunes & ABC but instead they missed the point of viewing it on the iPod/Computer - All they are doing is charging me for something I can do for free.

 

[shamino]

I don't see Lost on that list, and I know for sure it is somewhere in the top 20, so how reliable is that?

Nielsen Research is the standard for TV ratings. Their figures are what every network uses for setting advertising prices. They aren't always completely accurate, but you're not likely to find a better benchmark.

If your favorite show isn't on the top 20, then 20 other programs got more viewers that week. That much is certain.

But this could be due to many reasons other than the show being unpopular. For instance, it might have been preempted by a sporting event in several key cities. Or it might be showing a rerun in the same week that others are showing new episodes. Or it could simply be a random fluctuation. Which is why networks (usually) look at a show's trend over several weeks when deciding how to set ad prices and whether to cancel/renew a show.

Figures don't lie, but it's easy to draw the wrong conclusions if you don't realize what the figures are actually representing.

 

[EricNau]

Nielsen Research is the standard for TV ratings. Their figures are what every network uses for setting advertising prices. They aren't always completely accurate, but you're not likely to find a better benchmark.

If your favorite show isn't on the top 20, then 20 other programs got more viewers that week. That much is certain.

But this could be due to many reasons other than the show being unpopular. For instance, it might have been preempted by a sporting event in several key cities. Or it might be showing a rerun in the same week that others are showing new episodes. Or it could simply be a random fluctuation. Which is why networks (usually) look at a show's trend over several weeks when deciding how to set ad prices and whether to cancel/renew a show.

Figures don't lie, but it's easy to draw the wrong conclusions if you don't realize what the figures are actually representing.

OK, I see, and yes, last week Lost was a re-run, and that was why it wasn't in the number 1 or 2 spot.
But from what I know ABC is number 1 for TV shows.

And I wasn't doubting the Nielsen part, just the fact that it was on Yahoo

 

[Epicurus]

I wonder

Lets assume that CBS and NBC are really stubborn and will pump money into their own distribution networks for 5-6 months without hesitation. After that time, they'll realize that the iTunes thing has taken off (with a healthy boost following the first wave of Mactels and all the related media coverage), and they'll let Apple sit back down at the table and negotiate. This time Apple will have something the networks not only want but need. Apple will get the shows it needs to keep the iTunes TV store open, and the networks can stop wasting money on their own failed ventures.

FOX is the real dark horse in this whole situation. If they go on their own like CBS and NBC, then iTunes will be in serious trouble (unless they do a good job courting the smaller labels and really stir up the intependent crowd to get some new content). If FOX cuts a deal with Apple, the iTunes store will be healthy for at least another 3 months, which would buy time for the other networks to come around.

This whole transition will take time, not only because the networks themselves are slow to adopt new technology, but also because the legal impact of this new distribution channel has yet to play out. Contracts need to be renegotiated, deals need to be remade, and whole advertising departments need to be re-structured. Most networks run on advertising revenue rather than direct sales. VHS gave them nightmares. DVD opened their eyes some of the way, but this whole Apple/iPod thing should shake them out of bed entirely.

 

[LethalWolfe]

Sorry if this was mentioned before (I missed it if it was), but another reason the CBS & NBC download plan sounds half-baked is that NBC has a deal w/DirectTV and CBS has a deal w/Comcast. So only Comcast customers w/DVRs can grab the CBS content and only DirectTV customers w/DVRs can grab the NBC content.

Now, how does that make sense?


Lethal

 

[shamino]

Sorry if this was mentioned before (I missed it if it was), but another reason the CBS & NBC download plan sounds half-baked is that NBC has a deal w/DirectTV and CBS has a deal w/Comcast. So only Comcast customers w/DVRs can grab the CBS content and only DirectTV customers w/DVRs can grab the NBC content.

Now, how does that make sense?

Low-hanging fruit.

It's reasonably cheap, requires no new infrastructure, and may not even require new contracts to set up something like this using existing pay-per-view channels. They can use this to test the market and then evaluate expanding to a broader audience if they like the results.

Of course, this isn't completely reliable. The iTMS demographic may behave very differently from the PPV-DVR demographic. Especially when one is viewing on a DVR and the other on computers and iPods. But it can still be a useful trial, as long as the people analyzing the results do the work necessary to come to compensate for these differences.