SeeSaw has now added premium content to its line-up of online TV content. Which means those willing to pay can now access TV series from the likes of the BBC, MTV, Disney, and Comedy Central.
And a new mainstream TV advertising campaign could help boost viewer numbers considerably.
SeeSaw
When the BBC’s Project Kangaroo went the way of the dodo, Arqiva decided to buy the infrastructure in order to launch its own online video service. They called it SeeSaw and launched it earlier this year after a short period in beta.
SeeSaw is free to watch, with advertising paying for the content and bandwidth. Content from the BBC, Channel 4, and Five is available, but more was always promised, with international (read U.S.) content a must if SeeSaw is going to become the British Hulu.
The first U.S. programming has now arrived but, unfortunately, it’s not free to watch.
From Free To Paid-For
SeeSaw has this week introduced a paid-for option, with premium viewing from the likes of BBC Worldwide, MTV, Comedy Central, Disney, and others coming online.
Series such as Lost, Ugly Betty, Reaper, and Doctor Who can now be rented either an episode at a time or by series. Individual episodes cost between 99p and £1.19 to rent, with series varying from £3.99 to £17.99 depending on how many episodes there are and how recently they aired on TV.
The 1,000 hours of premium programming currently available will be added to in coming months, with deals with “major Hollywood studios” reportedly in the pipeline.
Advertising Campaign
SeeSaw claims to have had more than 1 million people connect to the service since launch. But that isn’t enough, so a major new advertising campaign is on its way.
According to The Guardian, the campaign has been directed by Armando Iannucci, and stars celebrities such as David Threlfall and Sally Phillips. The ads will run from now until the end of June, and the strapline is, “If You Love TV”. Which is short and gets straight to the point I guess.
Conclusions
hasn’t exactly grabbed me so far. It’s a good service, with some appealing content. But none of it isn’t available anywhere else.
However, the new premium rentals are a good addition, and the advertising campaign should help viewer numbers go upwards. The more people who watch, the more content will become viable. And SeeSaw may well then become the service it shows the potential to be.
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