“CBS, the top-ranked US television network, on Wednesday announced plans to broadcast for free three episodes of its new drama, Threshold, on the company’s website,” Joshua Chaffin reports for The Financial Times. “The move marks the first time that CBS has made one of its dramatic series available on the web, and highlights the broadcast television networks’ growing embrace of the Internet both for distribution and promotion of its content.”
“In a landmark move, Walt Disney earlier this month unveiled plans to sell episodes of its top-rated ABC shows, Lost and Desperate Housewives, for download through Apple’s iTunes store a day after their debut. The programmes cost $1.99 apiece,” Chaffin reports. “The CBS strategy differs because the episodes will only be available for a limited three-day window after their initial broadcast, and will not carry advertising. The goal for CBS is to build a bigger audience for Threshold’s advertising-supported network broadcast, as well as increasing visitors to its CBS.com website. ‘We continue to seek and identify new ways in which traditional media and new media can work together to help each other’s respective businesses,’ said Nancy Tellem, President of the CBS Paramount television group.”
Full article here.
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Well, keep on seeking, Ms. Tellem, because you’re nowhere near the answer. Take a look at the video CBS is offering (for a limited time only) here – don’t worry, you’re not going legally blind, it really does look like crap using Microsoft’s Windows Media Player plug-in.
Now, even Microsoft’s WMP can look better than that, we must admit. CBS needs to stop being afraid and embrace new media. Give us good quality video, forget about the “driving traffic to the website” foolishness, and drop the “limited time only” nonsense. This is typical of network TV thinking: too limited, virtually useless and sucks as a promotion. It’s also a prime example of why the old guard media should thank their lucky stars for Steve Jobs’ Apple.
CBS, the answer has already been provided for you. It’s called iTunes. Gather up your courage to make a real decision for once, give Apple a call, then go ahead and make Threshold available in good quality, sans the ads, for $1.99 an episode. That way we can buy it, catch up on back episodes of a show we think we might like and perhaps begin to watch it regularly.
Wow, does that video feed blow. Looks like they boiled down the video file to about 42kb.
went to the cbs.com site to leave a message.
Bright idea. They don’t want messages.
Their site sucks with every mouse move prompting long spinning balls.
So, forget cbs. That’s a period.
CBS will never be part of itunes becaus they are liberal elitist, commie control freaks who won’t tell the whole truth! (lol… wonder how long it will take someone to flame this?)
MDN word is Sarcasm, as in this is.
I want:
– 24
– The Simpsons (first 4 seasons)
– The Twilight Zone
– The Outer limit
– Looney Tunes
– The Muppet Show (some episodes are classics)
– Dallas (Idem)
– The list could go on and on…
You make some good points.
(That was NOT sarcasm.)
And you sure have a clever wit.
(That WAS sarcasm.)
Keep being you…
Love,
Kate
Well, I just tried it, OS 10.2x and Safari.
“Cannot open the file. Verify that the filename and path are correct and try again.”
You know, this never happens when people use QuickTime for online content…
Prediction: CBS will be the last US network to hook up with Apple on iTunes Music Store.
on a win 2000 with wmp
When more media outlets catch on to this release, their first questions are going to be:
1. Will it play on the new iPod?
2. Why is the quality so much worse than what Apple & ABC are offering?
Get a life.
I hate Windows Media. QuickTime just works. And I can make QuickTime viewable on my TV, an iPod, or stretch it to fit my monitor. Links below so I can save them for playback in QuickTime…
http://video.cgi.cbs.com/video/video.pl?url=/vidauth/US/threshold003a.wmv
http://video.cgi.cbs.com/video/video.pl?url=/vidauth/US/threshold003b.wmv
That show is horrible.
The only thing good about it is the woman that plays the lead.
She’s only good because I saw her naked in Sin City.
Man, what a body.
wow, that was some bad quality. poor schmucks
… and Hill St. Blues!
I would pay serious money to be able to watch some of those episodes again.
There’s a lot of classic, hithertofore unavailable TV that I’m sure would sell well
I get the same error message as mrmikey. Man WMP blows.
Forget the blocky video, gotta love that sound. Sounds like I’m listening to it through a vacuum cleaner hose (suck pun – happy coincidence).
Viacom is in bed with Microsoft. They will never embrace anything Apple just because.
sucks … wmv
Just tried it on my XP PC. It doesn’t seem to work in anything but Internet Explorer. It wouldn’t even try to play in FireFox 1.0.7 or Mozilla 1.7.11. The quality in IE on the PC is not nearly as bad others describe it on the Mac. Big problem even for PC users – you have no control. I can’t fast fwd, rewind, come back to it later and resume, etc. No thanks…
If we really want to discourage this kind of useless online media drivel and encourage high-quality, consumer friendly media instead, we should stop visiting CBS’ website. Every site hit they receive just validates their bad ideas.