AOL to launch online TV
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Time Warner's AOL said on Monday it planned to launch a free Internet television service by early 2006, in one of the technology and media industry's most ambitious designs to reach TV viewers online.
Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) and Google Inc. threaten to bypass traditional media outlets by linking computer users with TV shows online, striking partnerships with programmers, or create it themselves, but what they lack AOL now possess in abundance -- the shows themselves.
Over time, Warner Bros. could add up to 14,000 episodes from 300 series it has currently cleared with rights holders, executives said. AOL is also currently in talks with "every major provider" to offer shows not owned by Time Warner, Kevin Conroy, executive vice president of AOL media networks said in an interview.
Indeed, with some 112 million unique monthly visitors to AOL's online properties, the company has been quickly restructuring the company to attract even more by offering more free programing, through which it can sell online advertising to offset a quickly declining dial-up subscriber base.
Jupiter's Chanko, who is a media industry veteran, said he saw the future of TV in free, advertising-driven business models. Selling shows directly to consumers on a per episode basis, although interesting, could face problems at a time when monthly cable bills average about $40 and rising each year.
In the foreseeable future, however, In2TV, will only feature backlog shows that are not currently on syndication on other channels to sidestep conflicts with existing distribution agreements.
Resource: news.yahoo.com
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