With the blackouts of CBS stations on Time Warner Cable and the rumors of Apple and Google deals with content providers for a new type of television, I thought I would break from the usual review format here to give some commentary. Primarily, I want to outline what I would want (in a perfect world) out of TV.
First off, I think the old model of channels bundled from Cable providers for $20 - $150/month with loads of commercials is just not fair to the consumers. The cable companies make money from the advertising and monthly fees and then have to share that with the content providers (if the show is made by someone else). This means that we consumers are basically having the pay two fees to watch a show: our cable bill and with our time for the commercials (or more of a cable bill for a DVR so that you can record and skip the commercials). Where is the benefit to us the viewers?
Second off, the alternatives to the old model are not perfect either. You can go even older with an antenna and picking up limited channels over the airwaves without a direct cost to the provider, but the offerings are limited and you still have commercials. Or you can cut off the cable and do what we have for the last two years and watch on-demand programs through Netflix (or if you prefer, Hulu or Amazon), buy individual shows on DVD or through season passes on iTunes and/or just wait for the DVDs to be released a year later and have them shipped from Netflix. Here you either have limited options, are at the mercy of the deals the on-demand sources have made with content providers or have to wait sometimes a year to see shows (often being spoiled long before then). The one thing these options get right is that you are paying only for what you want to see (not a billion channels you never watch).
Another way the older content providers and cable companies are getting things wrong is with their online offerings. Last season I tried to watch Revolution online at NBC.com - the show as fine, but the experience of watching it on the website sucked. The show would stop 2/3 of the way through an episode. To get it restarted I would have to watch the last commercial break again. Ugh. Now NBC (and this isn't just them, but they are providing the best examples these days) has the rights to all the Premier League matches from the UK, which they are offering on-line through their NBC Sports Live website or their new App. Great, watch any match all season long wherever you like. IF, if you have a cable subscription that includes NBC Sports (I think). You see, when you try to view something you have to log into your cable provider and see if you have the channel. If you don't they tell you, Sorry you can't view this content - go upgrade your cable subscription. I don't have cable and I certainly don't want to pay $60 a month to get the package that includes the sports channel!
What is the solution? Well, the rumored Apple model may be the best way, depending on cost and advertising. The rumor is that Apple is trying to sign deals with the content providers (the show producers and distributors) to have channel Apps that may be available through a subscription fee. I would be all for that. HBO GO for a $5 - $10 a month? Sold. NBC Sports Live to allow me to see English Premier League games at $5 - $10 a month? Probably do that too. Also still be able to buy individual show packages through iTunes and Amazon and get them the next day without commercials? Great. The only catch here would be commercials. See, if I am paying directly for the content - even through a subscription fee monthly, then the commercials better be in the app out of my way or non-existent. I don't want to pay and then have to wait through commercials to watch what I have subscribed or paid to. I am okay if you want to tack a commercial on to the end of a show and allowing me to exit if I don't want to watch the commercial, but putting it up front (hey, yeah, I am looking at you YouTube) or throughout the show (current online model from most channels) is just annoying and unnecessary.
So there it is. Make a set-top box or integrated TV that has the ability to provide season passes to shows or subscription based channel apps at a reasonable price (and reasonable isn't $30 a month). Or just have everyone sell their episodes the day after they air over cable - I'll gladly pay to see them the next day without commercials (not a year later, HBO - still haven't bought a single episode of Game of Thrones, because after a year of waiting I just get the discs from Netflix by the time they are out). Stop the advertising and high costs of cable for channels I (and no one else) will ever care about. The channels that have compelling content (or the producers/distributors with good shows) will thrive and we will get more of that. Those that aren't good will wither or adapt. Either way we will get what we want to see at a more reasonable price. Hopefully someone will get on this before I am too old to enjoy it. I'll try to get back to a regular review next time. Have a Mick Happy day.
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