[opendtv] News: CBS's Poltrack predicts network VOD
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2005 08:49:11 -0500
http://broadcastengineering.com/newsletters/scm/20050106/#CBS
CBS's Poltrack predicts network VOD
Jan 6, 2005 8:00 AM,
Within the next two years, video-on-demand (VOD) services featuring
the network's most popular shows will provide a steady new revenue
stream for program providers and program distributors, David
Poltrack, executive vice president, research and planning for CBS,
has predicted.
At the annual UBS Media Week Conference in New York last month,
Poltrack said CBS research shows that some type of VOD model
featuring broadcast repeats is of interest to a significant segment
of the audience. He added that such a service could work, even if
people continue to use digital video recorders to store and replay
programming on their own.
Poltrack said a CBS on-demand service could either be paid for
show-by-show, or for a fixed monthly fee. He added that viewers might
be charged less for programming with advertising that cannot be
skipped, and more if the viewer is allowed to bypass the ads. Several
cable operators offer such content packages from premium cable nets.
For example, Time Warner now offers VOD from HBO, Showtime and
Cinemax as part of a $7.95 monthly package for unlimited viewing
access.
He cited some obstacles. It will take some time, Poltrack said, to
renegotiate residual fees with studios for programming already shown,
but such fees could be worked into future deals before the
programming airs on the networks. ABC, NBC and CBS are all
experimenting with offering news programming on-demand to various
cable operators in certain markets, but those are just limited tests.
The top two shows viewers said they would consider buying on VOD were
CBS' "CSI" and ABC's "Desperate Housewives," which Poltrack added,
also topped the DVR playback list.
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