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Showtime Experiments With Streaming Shows
from the it's-a-start....-barely... dept
While many people have been wondering why TV networks haven't started putting TV shows online for download for the folks who missed them (or forgot to record them), it appears that at least some TV execs are figuring out that it's a space they should experiment with. It's nowhere near the type of stuff that is commonly referred to as broadcatching, but Showtime, with the help of Yahoo, will be offering the first episode of some new TV show online for streaming (not download) at the same time as it airs on TV. They're going to keep it up for a few weeks as well. Still, it makes you wonder, why the limitations? Why stream it instead of download it? Making it downloadable will encourage people to pass it on to friends (assuming it's any good -- which could be a very big assumption) and build the kind of buzz any new show needs to survive. Also, if they made it downloadable they could use BitTorrent (or a similar technology) to offload the bandwidth costs. It seems like a no brainer, but that's never stopped the entertainment industry from missing the boat before. Still, it's at least a first step in the right direction.
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Showtime Streaming
I can see the argument for commercial networks to make their programming available for download after the original airing if they have a residual contract that allows such with their sponsors, producers, performers etc.
It is even more problematic for Showtime which is subscription based. They would have to sell the download at a comparable price with the same issues as the commercial networks with residuals etc.
The US radio stations have problems streming their ads, imagine the legal hassles this may entail.
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