Broadcasters and content owners are slowly but surely coming around to the idea of online video, as long as they remain in control and have a means of making some money from the venture.
ITV and NBC Universal are two such examples of this growing trend.
On-Demand In The U.K.
While Netflix, Hulu, and individual U.S. networks are using the Web in America to gain viewers, the U.K. is enjoying its own boom in online and on-demand video sites.
The BBC iPlayer is massively popular, while Channel 4 (4oD), Channel 5 (Demand Five), ITV (ITV Player), and Sky (Sky Player) all have their own dedicated catchup services.
Then there are the likes of SeeSaw, YouTube, and the MSN Video Player which are acting as third parties to broadcast content from others. All in all, the U.K. has a great mix of options for potential Web TV viewers.
NBC Comes To SeeSaw
NBC Universal has become one of the first U.S. companies to ink a deal with SeeSaw, following in the footsteps of MTV, Disney, and Comedy Central. Shows such as House, Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, and The Office are now available on the site.
Unfortunately they aren’t free, with rental prices starting at 99p per episode, and between £3.99 and £17.99 for a full series. Which isn’t actually a very good deal seeing as DVD boxsets usually cost around the same or even less than that. And they are for keeps while SeeSaw content is only available for 90 days after purchasing.
Still, it’s good to see SeeSaw building its content. I just wish more of it was free.
ITV Player Overhaul
Meanwhile, ITV has announced plans to overhaul and increase the reach of its ITV Player on-demand service. Which has so far failed to attract the kinds of viewing figures enjoyed by the BBC iPlayer.
ITV Player will soon be coming to the PS3 console, which already boasts iPlayer integration. ITV is also committed to rolling out the service to other games consoles, set-top boxes, and mobile devices.
This should help increase viewing figures and consequently improve on the revenue brought in by the pre-, mid-, and post-roll advertising ITV embeds into each online stream.
