“The pay TV industry is divided over how best to implement TV Everywhere, an initiative to let subscribers watch content online from PCs, phones or tablets,” reports the Los Angeles Times.
TV Everywhere was unveiled by Comcast and Time Warner in 2009 to offer programming via multiple platforms in hopes that viewers would keep their cable subscriptions and not switch to over-the-top services such as Netflix, Hulu and Roku.
However, the approach has failed to gain traction, and in practice has not been a seamless experience for consumers.
“It’s simply a mess — a complete and utter failure,” says BTIG media analyst Rich Greenfield.
One stumbling block has been deals that are impacting terms and conditions of other contracts. Another problem has been the confusion that results for consumers when they have to register at multiple locations to view content.
“We’re trying to figure out, can you have a single access point?” explains Mike Hopkins, president of distribution for Fox Networks. “It’s technically complicated but not impossible.”
The article describes HBO Go as one success story. Launched in 2010, the cable channel aggressively promoted the online service and now has some 5 million subscribers.
“We’re following consumer behavior,” says HBO co-President Eric Kessler. “This is about setting us up for the future and the next generation of HBO subscribers that is learning to watch on other devices.”
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