Jeff Bewkes (left)
announced this summer the start of a new pilot program called TV Everywhere that would give subscribers access to their favorite content across multiple platforms. Sure, this sounds great to subscribers, but what does it mean for the currently democratized internet space? What will happen to alternate content distributors if material is suddenly yanked from their sites? They may lose the advertising dollars necessary to turn a profit as consumers are forced to watch their favorite shows through their service provider's pay site . In return, it could become harder for independent content providers to find a foothold . If alternate online distributors start to disappear, and the independent content providers' material isn't being carried by a major subscription service outlet, how will this content find an audience? Will every independent creator have to become their own distributor as well?
Service providers are so scared about losing revenue from the traditional source (subscribers) that they fail to see the merits of diversifying (ad supported streaming). The way we consume media today is fundamentally different from the way we consumed media just five years ago. Society is used to viewing content for 'free' in an ad supported model. I can see TV Everywhere potentially working as a premium service, allowing subscribers to access content from their archives, see episodes before they premiere, watch content without commercials, etc. However I can't see people embracing it in the form Bewkes is currently proposing.
Labels: digital media, technology, television, Time Warner, web content
