Well, you knew someone would try this sometime soon. Cox Communications is teaming with ABC and ESPN in an “unprecedented digital platform trial” by making top shows available on cable video on demand for free — Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives — but with the fast-foward button disabled. The trial will begin in Orange County, CA with other areas coming soon. The shows will be made available the day after they air, and they’ll have dynamic ad insertion. In essense, they’re TiVo-proofing VOD in the hope it will attract new advertisers. (Some questions come to mind: How are the affiliates involved in this arrangement? How many commercials will VOD viewers sit through without getting frustrated and leaving? Would this supplant any DVR recordings of the same shows because people know it’s available on VOD?) “It provides consumers with more access to our hit programming, while showcasing our continued dedication to working with our distribution and advertising partners to develop and grow viable multi-platform business opportunities that better meet the evolving needs of our industry,” said Anne Sweeney, president of the ABC Television Group. Orange County subscribers will also be able to watch the ABC shows on Cox.net inside ABC.com’s video player — the first time ABC.com has syndicated the player to anyone else. More details in the release…
PRESS RELEASE — The Walt Disney Company’s Disney-ABC Television Group and ESPN, and Cox Communications, Inc., today announced an unprecedented digital platform trial to test several advanced on demand opportunities. Cox and ABC have signed a non-binding letter of intent regarding the project, which is subject to the finalization of terms. The trial is scheduled to take place this fall in Cox’s Orange County cable television system, and is expected to be rolled out in additional markets.
Key elements of the trial would include:
· Episodes of four ABC primetime series, as well as select ESPN on ABC college football events, will be offered to Cox Digital customers in the FreeZone section of Cox’s On Demand service. Beginning this fall, episodes of “Desperate Housewives,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost” and “Ugly Betty” will be available for viewing the day after their broadcast premiere. Cox will disable the fast-forward option on its VOD service for all offered ABC and ESPN on ABC content.
· The two companies will work together to test dynamic ad insertion on Cox’s On DEMAND platform when such technology becomes operational.
· ABC will syndicate its Emmy Award-winning broadband player for the first time ever to a cable operator, providing Cox.net users in Orange County with the ability to watch ad-supported, full episodes of many of ABC’s most popular primetime series online the day after they air on the network.
“This project is another example of how our digital strategy integrates into our overall business strategy,” said Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks, and president, Disney-ABC Television Group. “It provides consumers with more access to our hit programming, while showcasing our continued dedication to working with our distribution and advertising partners to develop and grow viable multi-platform business opportunities that better meet the evolving needs of our industry.”
“Cox has been a longtime valued affiliate and we are excited to be working with them in this truly unique way,” said George Bodenheimer, co-chair, Disney Media Networks, and president, ESPN and ABC Sports. “We believe that the knowledge gained by experimenting together will not only benefit our two companies, but the entire industry as programmers and operators look for new, innovative ways to work together.”
“We’ve always placed a high priority on using the most popular content on television to create more value in our on demand platform for customers and advertisers,” said Pat Esser, president, Cox Communications. “We are excited about collaborating with Disney and using their great ABC and ESPN content to provide our customers with ‘anywhere, anytime’ access to content they value.”