New offerings for VOD on demand service using just internet

Netflix managed to turn it's mail in DVD service into the clear lead of this type of service. Hulu PLUS is probably in 2nd place, but you still have to watch commercials. Amazon Prime saves some people money on shipping alone, and it bundles in one digital book per month. Hallmark has a low cost digital streaming service, and World Wrestling Federation has one for $10 a month. Acorn TV has British shows for $5 a month but usually sells annual membership for much less.

Mohu kickstarter campagin was successful in raising enough money to sell an interface that combines air channels with digital services.

Home Box Office did what most analysts predicted they would not do for a decade. They are going to sell standalone service next year that does not require cable subscription.

The expectation to the HBO announcement would be that CBS would make SHOWTIME available in a similar manner. Instead they announced that they would sell CBS channel for $6 a month (without NFL football). Keep in mind that you can go to CBS's website and watch CBS shows the next day for free. Presumably they will start delaying the free VOD for 8 days (which they used to do a few years ago) so as to make the pay service more attractive. However, you can buy an antenna for as little as $10.


It's launching in in the cities where CBS broadcast station is owned and operated by the corporation (i.e. not affiliates).

City of license/Market Station Owned since
* New York City, New York WCBS-TV 2 1941
* Los Angeles, California KCBS-TV 2 1951
* Chicago, Illinois WBBM-TV 2 1953
* Philadelphia, Pennsylvania KYW-TV 3 1995
* Fort Worth-Dallas, Texas KTVT 11 1999
* San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, California KPIX-TV 5 1995
* Boston, Massachusetts WBZ-TV 4 1995
Washington -not available
Atlanta -not available
Houston -not available
Phoenix -not available
* Detroit, Michigan WWJ-TV 62 1995
Tampa -not available
Seattle -not available
* Minneapolis-St. Paul WCCO-TV 4 1992
* Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Florida WFOR-TV 4 1989
* Denver, Colorado KCNC-TV 4 1995
Orlando -not available
Cleveland -not available
* Stockton-Sacramento-Modesto, California KOVR 13 2005
St Louis - not available
* Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania KDKA-TV 2 1995
...
* Baltimore, Maryland WJZ-TV 13 1995

Quote: terapined

I grew up on network TV, ABC NBC CBS, that was it. These days, with so many choices, I see what the legacy 3 networks offer and think meh. I was a huge "lost" series fan (ending sucked) . That was probably the last thing I watched regularly on network TV besides sports.With so many choices, the old big 3 just isn't grabbing my attention when channel surfing.

Are we on the verge of seeing broadcast ad-supported TV effectively vanishing. It cannot disappear entirely, as the infrastructure has been built over the last 80 years, and someone will want to broadcast something. It's like AM radio, which is still with us despite technology being hopelessly outdated.

Netflix commercial in Mexico

Abuelita no estaba muerta, andaba de pachanga con Netflix

The word "pachanga" is not a traditional Spanish word, but actually the name of a character from a TV show that aired about 20 years ago. See if you can guess what it means from the commercial, and if you can't look it up in urban dictionary.

"VOD on demand" is a pleonasm. That is, it means "Video On Demand on demand." It's like saying "ATM machine," or "PIN number."

But the record for the most pleaonasmic name must be "Banco BBVA Bancomer" in Mexico. It means "Banco Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Banco de Comercio," or "Bank Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Banck Bank of commerce."

Wait, this is not the Spanish Word of the Day thread?

Quote: Nareed

Wait, this is not the Spanish Word of the Day thread?

Shame it's not. I'd not mind learning the etymology of the word "pleonasm"

Quote: Nareed

"VOD on demand" is a pleonasm.

So is "pachanga traitor" a pleonasm?

Quote: Face

Shame it's not. I'd not mind learning the etymology of the word "pleonasm"

Greek pleonasmos,"to be more than enough"

Quote: Pacomartin

ed they would not do for a decade. They are going to sell standalone service next year that does not require cable subscription.

The expectation to the HBO announcement would be that CBS would make SHOWTIME available in a similar manner. Instead they announced that they would sell CBS channel for $6 a month (without NFL football). Keep in mind that you can go to CBS's website and watch CBS shows the next day for free. Presumably they will start delaying the free VOD for 8 days (which they used to do a few years ago) so as to make the pay service more attractive. However, you can buy an antenna for as little as $10.

C-BS is denying reality here. It reminds me of the Napster days when the labels put out subscription music but you had to pay monthly, could only listen on your PC, and some other nonsense. $6 a month for network programs without the football? Reminds me of Mr. Hand:

"WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE? ON DOPE?"

Broadcast or cable, it matters not. The days of having to either watch when they want or wait until after and see if via DVR are numbered. Binge-watching is in. On-demand is in. The smart networks will embrace it and smash the ones who do not. This is one who does not.

Quote: AZDuffman

C-BS is denying reality here.

It's very clear what audience HBO is targeting. They want to sell a standalone HBO (the price is not set, but may be $12-$15) to people who don't want to shell out $70 a month plus set box rentals for cable TV.

What audience is CBS targeting? Right now they are only selling this service in the 14 markets where the CBS broadcast station is corporate owned. You can't watch football, and the scripted shows won't be real time, but will be available the next day. Well right now the scripted shows are available next day for free on the CBS website with a regular computer.

You will be able to watch the live feed for "Big Brother" 24 hours a day. If you made me watch that you would have to tie my arms down, or otherwise I would tear my eyes out.

What about an antenna? I know there are some people in these 14 DMA's that can't get antenna signal because of intervening hills or buildings. I imagine there are others who don't like antennas.

I have considered the possibility that CBS is preparing themselves for the next big political fight. With this service in place they can always threaten to stop broadcasting and only transmit to the internet customers. But who will believe them unless they have tens of millions of customers. But who will pay for this service today.

Quote: Pacomartin

So is "pachanga traitor" a pleonasm?

"Pachanga" means a long party or series of parties, or the action of someone who attends several parties. So no.

Quote: Pacomartin

Are we on the verge of seeing broadcast ad-supported TV effectively vanishing.

I don't think so, precisely because it's free for the consumers. Sure, it may be inconvenient not to set your schedule, but it's still free. Cable, on the same hand, while not free tends to be cheap.

Of course, markets vary, sometimes wildly. Take Mexico. In order to see some, perhaps most, of the programming available free over the air in the US, you need cable in Mexico. Oh, many such shows are shown free over the air here, too. Dubbed, butchered. On cable they're shown in English with subtitles, or there are different audio tracks in English and Spanish. And cable carries more of them.

Some cable channels, though, operate in a decidedly odd manner. the Fox channel tends to show movies during primetime and only a few series in that schedule. They show new, first run series in the afternoon. For instance, "How I Met Your Mother" ran at 4 pm, with repeats, sometimes, on weekends at 6 or 7 am.

Warner channel has a knack for promoting the series most likely to be cancelled. They promote everything more or less the same, but they have had many die on them.

And of course cable includes actual cable channels like Discovery, History, History2, NFL Network (original), ESPN, MTV, TCM, Cartoon network, etc.

Quote: Pacomartin

I have considered the possibility that CBS is preparing themselves for the next big political fight. With this service in place they can always threaten to stop broadcasting and only transmit to the internet customers. But who will believe them unless they have tens of millions of customers. But who will pay for this service today.

Maybe not political but the next time cable comes to renew their deal. If Comcast can't make a deal, just send the signal over this service, or even free for all. And there is still the possibility that one network just goes cable-only.

CBS skews to an older audience, the same ones who are least likely to use this service. Something is up.