Internet TV has Arrived: Coming Soon

Last summer I decided to replace my TiVo with a DirecTV DVR receiver instead. I loved my TiVo but the infrared sensor cable that stuck out from the face of the receiver to change DirecTV's channels often failed if it got bumped. So when I went to watch Monk or Lost it would turn out to be a show on another channel. Boy did that burn my biscuits. Sadly, right as I was making this decision, DirecTV ended its relationship with TiVo and began using its own DVR interface. I've been suffering ever since (I'll be OK). In the process of trying to learn DirecTV's obtuse interface I failed to record a few episodes of my favorite shows. While these instances were frustrating, it did provide me with an occasion to glimpse the future of TV. Having missed an episode of Survivor, I just hopped over to my computer and watched it for free on CBS.com. Phew, I wouldn't miss the tribal merge or who got voted off after all.


Television networks and several new online services like Joost and Veoh are starting to deliver television via the Internet. For example, Veoh contains episodes from NBC, CBS, and FOX, in addition to one hundred twenty-one other channels (and counting). ABC provides access to all its most popular shows directly through their own website using their custom player (they even have streaming HD).

It makes me happy to know that I no longer have to worry about whether or not my DVR recorded my favorite shows. But Internet TV is becoming much more than a backup plan when I miss an episode of 24. The simple act of shifting the delivery of television to the Internet radically increases the content choices and the way advertising is delivered. Both of these changes will benefit consumers. Enlarging the menu from shows airing this week to everything that's ever been aired is a nice improvement. But in this newsletter I'll focus on how Internet-based TV will improve television advertising.   next >