Fox Blunders While Allowing Downloads of TV Shows
In one innovative move, Fox will attempt to:
- increase advertising revenue,
- increase traffic to its local TV affiliate Web sites,
- making it easy and affordable for the consumer movement to get what it wants the ability to watch whatever whenever or WWEWE (think my acronym will catch on?)
- and without saying so, I also think Fox is also trying to deal with the problem of unauthorised videos of its shows appearing online.
How? As reported in Media Daily News on Friday:
- Fox will be the first broadcast network to offer prime-time shows for download via its local TV affiliate [Web] sites.
- Singles episodes, available the day after their prime-time airing, will cost $1.99, with entire seasons ranging from $19.99 to $39.99[US].
- Analysts say the downloads could provide a much-needed boost to local TV sites, which are crowded by video-sharing sites and newspaper sites offering news video.
Being first in anything is an interesting position. Obviously gives you a head start and the ability to gain market share before your competitors get in the game too.
But it also allows the competition to learn from your mistakes and improve on your idea at a lower cost (after all you invested to come up with the original idea right?).
Here is Fox’s mistake: Fox should not be selling the episodes, instead they should be giving away interactive downloads with imbedded interactive mini-commercials.
Why? While it may be the first broadcast network to offer prime-time shows for download, FOX should take a lesson from the recording Industry – you can buy an MP3s for 99¢ but has that stopped illegal downloads?
Since the service hasn’t launched yet, there is still time to make the correction – also time for someone else to do it beat them to the punch.
I think with a free download model the product would be improved with interactivity and Fox could easily:
- increase traffic to its local TV affiliate Web sites,
- deal with the problem of unauthorised videos of its shows appearing online,
- increase revenues – onsite advertising and via commercials in the downloads
- and best of all, thanks to wireless, let consumers WWEWE all over the place!
Have a great wwewek! Greg
One Reply to “Fox Blunders While Allowing Downloads of TV Shows”
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I’m not sure how much market share Fox will be getting from this. Back in June 2006, ABC.com started offering free online viewing of new episodes the day after they aired, then all other networks followed suit, including Canadian network CTV.ca.
I have a few Questions for Fox, what format will the shows be offered in (SD or HD)? Will they have any DRM? Can I put it on my ipod? Or watch it on my TV?
Apple has successfully answered all these questions, by creating a great user experience, where making a purchase seamlessly dowloads the show to your computer, syncs with your ipod, and have the choice to watch it on your computer screen or on the go “catch the latest episode of the office on your flight to Toronto”… and with the release of “Apple TV†this month, you will be able to stream it directly to your High-Def Television set.
One thing is for certain, Apple can use some competitors and at a matching pricepoint of $1.99, one can only guess how much market share Fox will get.
In any case, all of this is moot in the great white north, all of these goodies (free or pay) are only available to U.S. citizens, with the execption of CTV.ca.