Digital Media Blog

TV over the internet: Is it finally coming?

Posted: 2/6/2005

I've been telling people for years that someday, all their TV shows will be essentially pay per view; that they'll be able to watch the latest (or previous) episodes of their favorite sitcom whenever they want, not just when the networks decide it should be on.

In the last year though, I started to doubt myself. It seemed that with the lawsuit-happy antics of the RIAA and MPAA and the lack of any alternative being offered by the studios, as well as their push for things like the broadcast flag that would stop you from doing such terrible things as recording a show so you can watch it later, that it just wasn't going to ever happen.

Now, it appears that we might get internet TV after all. Verizon has become the third major telephone company to sign on to use Microsoft TV, a system that provides an interactive program guide, high-definition television, digital video recording and video-on-demand over broadband internet connections. And CinemaNow, a web site that offers movies on demand via the internet, just announced a partnership with NBC.

"In recent years, the studios' have been reluctant to offer content online due to concern over lost revenues because of piracy. They are becoming aggressive, however, in battling piracy and as a result, are offering more first-run movies and TV shows online, helping to spur rapid growth at CinemaNow."

Whether the reason is battling piracy, or actually giving consumers what they want, if the end-game is to offer up first-rate TV shows via the internet, that can only be a good thing. Still this is only a step in the right direction, and not a full turn.

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