Thursday, October 05, 2006

Networks Tempt TV Viewers Online

The tide has officially turned -- the Internet is friend and not foe to television.

This fall many television shows are being streamed online so that fans can catch episodes they missed (or forgot to TiVo) and to generate additional ad revenue for the networks. Fox announced it is finally catching up to the big 3 in offering some episodes online, saying that it will stream episodes of Bones and Prison Break on MySpace.

Even subscription cable network Showtime is expanding its programming online, offering Weeds and several other shows over broadband. It's
good to see that the networks have learned from the adult industry that by giving some but not all of your content away you can actually increase your audience.

So I'm calling it (quoting the docs on Grey's Anatomy) -- the time of death for "primetime" TV is Fall 2006. DVRs, video on demand, and broadband TV killed the concept that networks should solely base theirrevenues on expecting people to sit on the couch from 8-11 p.m. While many folks will continue to watch shows during their initial airing, they will no longer schedule their lives around primetime (American Idol excepted).

Found via MarketingVox.

Posted By John Gartner at 12:37 PM
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