Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Music Subscriptions Moving to TV

Put the PC headphones away -- music subscription services are taking over the living room, where they are more convenient and can be heard using better equipment. In the past few weeks there's been a slew of deals to put music into home theater boxes. TiVo and RealNetworks got together, and EchoStar bought Sling Media.

Audio hardware company Sonos partnered with anyone with a pulse -- I mean with Sirius Satellite Radio, Napster, Pandora and RealNetworks. Music on demand through cable channels have been out nearly as long as MTV, but accessing your online music accounts is becoming a major trend.

Consulting firm ABI Research says these subscription will help to drive sales of networked home theater devices as more people want to listen to their digital libraries anywhere in the house. "Over the next five years, the networked home audio market is set to grow from what largely is a hobbyist and audiophile market into a broader consumer market," says the company. It only makes sense that download services should follow as well, so carve out some space on your DVR for some tunes.

Just as with video, the wall between online and offline consumption is falling faster than Britney Spears' career prospects. Cable and IP over telecommunications lines (and cell networks) will be alternative methods of accessing content that you first fell in love with online.

By John Gartner at 11:04 PM | Comments (0)

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