FreeThink - Official FreeWheel Blog

I keep reading stories written by journalists and bloggers asserting that TV Everywhere – the phrase coined by cable companies to represent their efforts to make the content that subscribers are already paying for on their TV available on other devices – has gone nowhere.  That progress has been non-existent or slow, that the largest media and cable companies are dragging their feet.

That’s simply not true.  And arguably, if you don’t know it’s happening, that’s evidence that one of the primary objectives is being achieved:  to create a seamless, clean authentication process for consumers to access their subscription-based content anytime, on any device.

Cable and content companies alike have acknowledged just how much is at stake with bringing premium content into a converged world of devices, environments, and revenue models.  There are a host of challenges that, if not handled while paying careful mind to both monetization and customers, could end the initiative before it even starts.  As such, these companies are wisely wading their way into the murky waters, not diving in head first.

Let’s consider just a few of the public examples from just the past few months:

• ESPN3.com Live Streaming the FIFA World Cup:  Consumers have been so trained to expect free content online, that many exclaimed that this, too, was an example.  However, this was only available to watch live if you already subscribed to ESPN through your cable provider.  Simple, drop-down authentication granted you ad-supported access to all of the live action in real time.

• Turner + Verizon + Adobe + FreeWheel = TV Everywhere:  Turner continues to test its TV Everywhere chops by giving Verizon FIOS customers access to several channels, making use of Adobe technology for authentication and FreeWheel technology to dynamically insert advertising; and announced last week that it continues to add channels to that line-up.

• DISH Network Pushes Live TV to iPad; Android and Blackberry Are Next:  For DISH Network subscribers, you will soon be able to watch your live satellite television on your iPad; and your Blackberry and Android will soon follow.  This doesn’t yet bring the satellite company’s full functionality to portable devices (no DVR, no VOD), but it’s a solid start.

• Cisco Acquires ExtendMedia, Doubles Down on TV Everywhere:  Unknown to many in the Internet world, Cisco provides a large portion of the equipment and services that power traditional television today.  It's not lost on them that this infrastructure must evolve for the converged broadcast + digital world.  Its acquisition of ExtendMedia is the latest of its efforts to build “a next-generation, end-to-end video architecture that delivers the best consumer experience with access to any content, over any network, on any device.”

These are some of the largest companies in television and broadcast making intentional, methodical strides towards providing content in a multi-platform, multi-device world.  And here’s the kicker:  they’re consciously making sure that they’re still going to make money while doing it. 

Would you cliff-dive head first into the unclear waters of convergence right now if you had tens of billions of dollars at stake?  Didn’t think so.

— JoAnna Abel - VP, Marketing