St. Louis Post-Dispatch Gail Pennington Column: Old Question: Did You See “CSI”? New Question: How’D You Miss “CSI”?
By Gail Pennington, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Sep. 30–Still watching TV on a TV set? How quaint.
The almost daily announcements of fresh ways to watch, from streaming video to free downloads to new Web portals, make sitting down in front of the 32-inch Magnavox seem about as contemporary as dusting off the View-Master.
One thing is clear: In our on-demand world, you have almost no reason to ever miss a TV show.
If there’s a church supper on Sunday night, you could certainly record “Desperate Housewives” with your VCR and play the tape back later.
You could also set your DVR to pick up the whole season, automatically, on its hard drive and present the episodes to you in a tidy list. Lots of viewers like this option; DVR penetration soared to almost 20 percent this fall from 8.5 percent a year ago.
But it’s also old hat.
This fall, Fox offered the pilot episodes of its new shows for free download on both iTunes and Amazon Unbox, and it streamed the first episode of “K-Ville” via 200 online sites, including Yahoo and TVGuide.com. The CW streamed “Aliens in America” and “Life Is Wild” on Yahoo TV before their network premieres.
Fans could watch the second-season premiere of NBC’s “Heroes” as streaming video at NBC.com or buy a $1.99 download from iTunes or Amazon. ABC joined CBS in streaming full episodes of shows including “The Bachelor” and “How I Met Your Mother” at AOL.com, as well as on the networks’ own websites.
As the TV networks struggle with how to compete with — and profit from — the digital revolution, CBS has raced ahead, offering its shows for free streaming on websites large and small.
“In this new wide world where everybody can get content on any platform anywhere, you have to syndicate your content out,” Quincy Smith, president of CBS Interactive, said in a presentation to TV critics this summer.
Rather than requiring a visit to the network’s website to watch a streaming version of “CSI: Miami,” CBS’ strategy puts its programs on sites that potential viewers already visit, as well as rounding up everything from the canceled “Armed & Famous” to the new “Kid Nation” at CBS.com.
Earlier this month, ABC — which already offers free, streaming versions of many of its series, including some in high-definition, at ABC.com — added shows, including “The Bachelor” and “Dancing With the Stars” to AOL.com/TV.
Days after ABC’s move, NBC announced NBC Direct, which will offer free downloads of NBC shows that can be viewed for a week before they expire. Downloads provide “an improved overall viewing experience compared to traditional streaming video,” said NBC, adding that a beta test of NBC Direct will begin in October.
FIREWALLS, FREEZES
NBC had been one of the most popular content providers on Apple’s iTunes, where downloads of individual episodes of TV shows sell for $1.99. This month, however, NBC and Apple had a falling out over pricing, leading NBC to announce that it would pull its shows from iTunes.
Instead, in addition to NBC Direct, NBC Universal has partnered with News Corp., the owner of Fox, in a service called Hulu. Hulu also is set for testing beginning in October with an eye to rivaling YouTube and other digital content distributors.
Some early adopters already boast that they watch little television on a TV set, using their computer monitors or laptops instead.
But so far, the on-demand option can easily be diminished by the comfort factor (couch or desk chair?) and by the many glitches and frustrations that accompany attempts to stream or download video.
A day spent watching TV on the computer first called for leaving the office and going home. Many businesses run their computers behind security firewalls, which can prevent successful downloads, one website accurately warned.
Each site also seems to require a different Web player or browser plug-in. Even a registered user of, say, iTunes might need to install an update before starting the download process.
Streaming video is famous for freezing and, depending on a computer’s speed and capabilities, that problem (“buffering … buffering”) is almost inevitable. Sometimes, the ad preceding a program will load, but not the program itself. TAKING A TV BREAK
And then there are the ads. Minus the original commercials, streamed versions of shows still offer plenty of advertising.
Despite promises that a show is “presented with limited commercials,” you’re likely to find that it’s broken into short sections, each preceded by a 30-second spot that somehow seems interminable.
The viewing experience also will be affected by everything from ambient light in the room to the quality of your monitor. But it’s easy to understand the appeal of sneaking a look at “My Name Is Earl” during your coffee break.
Clearly, if you can’t be on your couch, the perfect place to watch last night’s sitcoms is at the office, while “on a break” from work.
If that’s the case, consider CBS.com. It’s the only network website with a necessity: the “boss button.”
Clicking it returns you — instantly — to a blank e-mail form.
gpennington@post-dispatch.com
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