DirecTV, TBS, TNT To Put Shows Online

DirecTV Group Inc. is in talks with the TBS and TNT cable networks to offer their shows online, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

If a deal is reached, DirecTV subscribers would be able to watch shows from those cable networks on the Internet, the people said on condition of anonymity because the talks still are ongoing. DirecTV, the nation's largest satellite TV operator, previously said it was considering such deals but did not specify the networks.

DirecTV joins a growing list of cable, satellite and phone companies that are offering consumers a "multiscreen" experience: the ability to watch shows on TV, computers and mobile devices like cell phones.

As online video grows in popularity, pay-TV operators and cable networks are under pressure to offer a service that consumers want while still protecting lucrative subscription fees that operators are paying to the networks. The two sides are expected to share in any advertising revenue generated from online videos.

On Thursday, Time Warner Cable Inc. said it has deals with at least 12 cable networks that would allow the cable operator to put their content on the Internet.

The 12 are: Time Warner Inc.'s TBS, TNT and HBO; CBS Corp.'s CBS network; Syfy from General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal; BBC America, Cablevision Systems Corp.'s AMC, WE tv, IFC, Sundance, Discovery Communications LLC's Discovery and the Smithsonian Channel, a joint venture between CBS's Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution.

Time Warner Cable will begin testing the service in 5,000 households nationally over the next few months. Subscribers will be able to access many shows on the cable networks' Web sites or on Time Warner Cable's sites.

Verizon Communications Inc., which offers television through its ultra-high-speed FiOS service, also unveiled its own online video trial Thursday. It currently has deals with TNT and TBS, but expects to add other networks soon. The phone company started its trial last week with 500 households and plans to expand.

Verizon will allow up to nine people in a household to sign up, and five can watch shows at the same time, spokeswoman Heather Wilner said.

Wilner said that Verizon also plans eventually to bring cable content to mobile devices, noting that it already offers shows through Verizon Wireless' VCast.

She said Verizon began online access to movies from Liberty Media Corp.'s Starz movies; Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN360 and Disney Connection; YES Network and NFL Game Extra as early as 2005, some for a fee.

Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Inc., announced in June that they are collaborating on a set of protocols for online access to cable shows. Comcast, the nation's largest cable TV operator, has signed up 24 cable and broadcast networks to participate in its online video trial of 5,000 householders, including Time Warner Inc.'s HBO and Cinemax, as well as Starz and CBS.

The concept is dubbed "TV Everywhere" by New York-based Time Warner Inc. and branded "On Demand Online" by Philadelphia-based Comcast. DirecTV, based in El Segundo, Calif., did not disclose the name of its online video service.

Comments

[countfloyd]

If this is moving us towards being able to select individual shows and networks instead of being forced to buy a package filled with channels I couldn't care less about then we are finally moving forward in giving customers real choice.

[KarateKid]

That's it, now we can be dumbed down as we sit at our monitors.

[MassHysteria]

Do you try to learn from fictional shows created for the sake of entertainment? I'm guessing if people can separate fiction from non-fiction, they'll be alright.

[KarateKid]

The inability of some to separate IS the problem. They don't call it the boob tube for nothing. Too much of it can have a numbing effect.

[MassHysteria]

Is the USA Network in there anywhere (I can never remember who owns what)? Psych , Burn Notice, and In Plain Sight are wonderful shows!!

[teragrammy]

If this deal happens, I hope that people worldwide will be able to subscribe. It's so annoying that Hulu cannot be accessed overseas.

[RickCoMatic]

The Closer IS a Great show! I don't want to have to watch it on a Cell Phone ... But, it's one of the BEST Show's on TV. Kera is wonderful as the Chief of Detectives. But, the real killer is that really great ensemble cast and the back stories going-on while they are working the Crime.

[spithole]

Rick, I completely agree. Spoken like a true critic!

[rocketman19]

but first you gotta want to watch this garbage in the first place. its just not all that good.

[Mattie]

The Closer is an excellent show, I know it's no Dancing with the Stars, which seems to be what the majority of Americans like, but it's a good show.

[amdezurik]

please go back to your FAUX news-like-substance then

[shthar]

Because then maybe someone will watch them

[wsuvtx]

The TV networks should this themselves so I do not have to pay DirecTV or Comcast or Verizon or any other TV provider. The cable and satellite companies are really starting to kick it into gear now that they see they are no longer needed.

[EgbertSouse]

That's just silly talk. You still need the Internet access and bandwidth they provide.

[zannamar]

That is because we allow they to "own" the wiring. If they didn't it would be a free market and many cable providers for the same city and cheaper service.

[BlackJAC]

It's not up to the networks, it's up to the studios. The reason why you can't get THE MENTALIST online is because its owner Warner Brothers wants the much higher syndication revenue, which only kicks in after you clear 65 episodes.