While video on the web is more prevalent than ever, there’s still a major debate as to whether or not there’s TV on the web. We can of course watch TV on Hulu, HBO GO, Showtime Anytime and numerous other TV everywhere products, but has non traditional TV-backed video content provided compelling enough content? The launch of Larry King-backed Ora TV is beginning a new chapter of TV on the web via Hulu. We spoke with Ora TV CEO Jon Housman about the launch of the network.
Ora, which means “now” in Italian launched this past summer with “Larry King Now“, it’s first show that has been airing exclusively on Hulu. Their mission as a network is to offer “high production level programming for digital distribution via a variety of platforms, seamlessly available on phones, laptops, tablets, connected televisions, and other devices.” King himself has been extremely involved on the social TV side, as he expands his career post CNN. He hosted an extremely successful Reddit IAMA, a platform that’s become extremely important to TV. He also has almost 2.3 million followers on Twitter.
Housman, who’s experience includes News Corp’s Fox and Dow Jones, described that he sees Ora as “more of an AMC or BRAVO, but we don’t live on your cable dial.” He described how they’re a “branded network, that creates quality.” He interestingly described how they’re growing and developing a brand for Ora. “For now, we’re much more focused on the show development part,” than coming up with a fancy tagline, he explained told Lost Remote.
Housman also talked about how they got King involved. “If you look at his career it’s been very innovating,” he described. “He was the first show to incorporate texting and national call ins, an early adopter of Twitter,” Housman told Lost Remote. “He missed a little of the action, he told me that after Bin Laden was killed, he wanted to be involved in that conversation – he’s as fired up and focused as I’ve ever seen him, he’s doing great shows,” Housman added.
Ora’s already growing their network. They recently launched “Newsbreaker” their next show “that goes after the biggest stories of the day by breaking details using social media and reactions from across the Internet.” The show’s hosted by David Begnaud.