Time Warner Cable and Verizon will be the next two companies to run trials of a Web TV service this year.
Both offerings will operate under a set of principles laid out earlier this year by Time Warner and Comcast. The principles dictate that only existing cable subscribers can access the on-demand Web content, but at no additional charge.
Comcast, which calls its version of this service "On Demand Online," launched a technical trial last month, mostly to test the authentication system that ensures only cable subscribers are getting the content. It's not clear when the service will become widely available, but Comcast says it will roll out new features over time, such as downloadable content. Several popular networks are participating, including HBO, CBS, TNT and the Discovery channel.
Time Warner's Web program, called "TV Everywhere," will launch "in select markets over the next few months," reaching 5,000 subscribers initially. TV Everywhere will include many of the same networks that are working with Comcast, and Time Warner says it's working on getting more networks to sign on.
Verizon doesn' t say when it will begin trials for Web TV, and it only lists TBS and TNT as participating networks. In this regard, it seems Verizon is approaching the initiative cautiously, making me wonder if the company is hanging back a little to see how the initiative pans out for the cable companies.
If that's true, it's for good reason. As I've expressed before, TV Everywhere seems like a poor way to hang onto cable subscribers. If people are ditching cable in favor of online video, Netflix and broadcast television, it probably doesn't mean they'd prefer to watch TV on their computers. It just means they do not wish to pay $50 per month for cable. Adding the luxury of Web TV isn't going to bring those people back or prevent other customers from abandoning ship.
