There was an interesting article amongst the top stories on Ad Age this morning; "Bewkes Pushes TV Everywhere: As Long As You Pay for It." In it, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes relates his plan to confront the issues that online streaming websites have created for the broadcast and cable industries.
He proposes an industry-wide initiative called "TV Everywhere." This collective resource would allow current subscribers to participating cable providers to stream their favorite shows online. Users would simply log into the TV Everywhere website with details from their cable accounts and unlock their favorite TV shows via any device with a Broadband connection.
Though many in the industry are skeptical and cite concerns that users will either continue to choose piracy sites or fail to use the media in a way that is marketable and profitable to the companies, the success of Hulu gives a little bit of hope to the initiative. Hulu, an online streaming media provider, debuted with expectations of failure; it was assumed that people would choose to avoid advertising and continue to use popular link farms instead. Instead, Hulu has proven successful for its short lifetime: consumers have proven they value the web stability, higher quality, and decidedly legal approach- even if it means watching a few 30 second advertisements.
All in all, it may be too early to tell about the success of the initiative, but Jeff Bewkes is working hard to generate excitement and participation around the industry.
Personally, I am glad to see someone taking a step in this direction. History has given us many examples of what happens to a media if it refuses to adapt to consumer wants. Consumers have made it clear that they like the internet; for the younger generation, a laptop has become a portal for nearly every set of entertainment. More importantly, laptops and the internet provide us an ease in viewing we did not previous have; I can now watch as many episodes of My Name is Earl whenever I want. I have control over what episodes I watch, when I watch them, where I watch them, and even have the power to pause and restart whenever I feel the need.
And ultimately, I am content to do this via Hulu. Sure, I have to occasionally watch 30 second advertising clips, but in return I can watch my favorite episodes in high definition through a service that is unlikely to a) infect my computer with an "anti-virus" software, b) stop streaming halfway through or c) be covered in five different sets of subtitles, all of which are languages I don't know.
If this new TV Everywhere initiative can continue to provide those benefits to me, I will definitely be one of the first to jump on the bandwagon. Otherwise, I may very well have to continue fulfilling my addiction to Dexter via less legal methods.
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