TV Networks Try to Figure out Online Viewing

Since the upfront ad sales kick off this week, TV is the topic du jour. Generally, I love The New York Times' media coverage, but this article about time-shifted TV viewing leaves a lot to be desired. The article breaks no new ground and rehashes the same old stuff. It does have a couple of interesting tidbits that point to where things are in the whole DVR/VOD/streaming of TV mess.

It's amazing how quickly people have migrated to online viewing, specifically to sites like Hulu. (Side note: I went to a panel today with Hulu CEO Jason Kilar. Interesting discussion, including the fact that you can watch the ads for your show on Hulu in a trailer format which cuts them out during the show itself. Back to the post.) The story notes that half of viewers for The Office and 30 Rock in L.A. watch online. That's amazing.

The other key point the story brings to light is the fact that advertisers and networks haven't fully committed to online viewing. I recognize that the most money comes from TV, but The CW pulled Gossip Girl episodes from its website to improve the show's ratings. It's ironic since the network has been lauded in many places, including a cover story in New York, for being the new model of a TV/online hybrid. The CW should have at least given more time to see how this will play out (and the comment by the show's executive producer in the Times article tells you some at the network were hoping that would happen). Oh well, this is how progress is usually made, slowly and tentatively. At least they're not pulling The Office from Hulu.