Comcast TV Everywhere LAunching On Every Device Known To Man
After a trial phase in 5000 homes, Comcast are launching TV Everywhere next month. Viewers who must also be subscribers, can watch Comcast shows on up to 3 internet enabled devices using the On Demand Online service. The Comcast TV Everywhere and On Demand Online are a response to the overwhelming success of internet tv.
Details of the new service have been disclosed by Comcast Interactive Media President Amy Banse, who talked about the initiative in an interview this week at the NewTeeVee Live 09 event in San Francisco.
The service will let existing Comcast subscribers view hit tv shows over the internet for no additional fees. Users will have to sign in online on either Fancast.com or Comcast.net websites to get authenticated as a genuine Comcast subscriber. Once signed up they will have access to online cable tv shows on demand content.Each subscriber can enable three devices to be used.
The advertising model is still being worked out, with Banse describing the upcoming launch as “the first inning” of how the business will work.
“If you’re an HBO subscriber, you’ll be able to watch Entourage on your laptop,” she said, referring to the hit HBO series. She added that the trial shows people like the video quality, the user interface, having access to content they watch on TV, and, in particular, being able to watch on-demand content.
Before Banse’s comments, there had been speculation among industry observers that the service would only work if the user was on a Comcast broadband connection, which would have limited its appeal. There are reports that using the service at home will contribute to a user’s monthly download limit.
Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for consumer technology at the NPD Group, said that TV Everywhere — “everywhere as long as you’re a Comcast subscriber” — is a reaction to the explosion of watching TV shows on the web, such as on Hulu.com.
Rubin noted that Hulu “has been aggressive about keeping its programming confined to the PC and off of TV.” He referred to the trend among a number of major online video providers, such as Netflix and YouTube, to make their content available on TV sets through set-top boxes or electronics built into the TV.
By offering its cable channels to subscribers online, Rubin said, “Comcast can preserve its subscription revenue and add value to a subscription.” This strategy “absolutely makes sense from a cable perspective,” he added, and, for those who are already paying for a subscription, this kind of on-demand availability “is a nice bonus.”
Although many disagree with cable prices. Existing subscribers can only be happy that for no additional cost they have mobile access to hit tv streams at home or on the move.
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[...] cable companies like Comcastare already laying a claim in this new market by launching their TV Everywhere service. By January 2010, Comcast will let subscribers watch TV episodes and movies online. Two dozen cable [...]