Insider Chatter by Donna Bogatin

September 20, 2007

Who Needs YouTube: Good NBC, ABC Stuff Free AND Legal!

Who needs Hulu? NO! Who needs YouTube!

Want the good NBC and ABC stuff, when you want it? Look to ABC on AOL and NBC Direct.

NBC: NBC.com today announced the launch of its new service, “NBC Direct,” which will allow users to download and view NBC’s popular primetime and late-night entertainment programming on their desktops for up to one week after broadcast. This new feature provides yet another platform on which fans will be able to enjoy NBC Entertainment content.

The first version of this new feature, which will begin beta testing in October, will allow users to download full length episodes for viewing on Windows based PCs. Each original episode will be licensed to users for viewing through “NBC Direct” for one week following broadcast and will then expire. The downloaded file will provide users with an improved overall viewing experience compared to traditional streaming video. The list of programs available at launch will include “Heroes,” “The Office,” “Life,” “Bionic Woman,” “30 Rock,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

Later in the beta launch, users will be provided the free subscription option that will allow them to pre-select their favorite NBC programs they want to watch. Those shows will be automatically delivered to their computers as soon as they are available after the original broadcast. The downloadable player will also have filtering technology, which will prevent it from playing any stolen copyrighted material.

ABC: Walt Disney Co.’s ABC became the latest major network to strike a deal with AOL allowing its full-length prime-time shows to be available free on the Time Warner Inc.-owned portal.

ABC shows will be available on AOL starting today, a few weeks before NBC Universal and News Corp.’s Fox are expected to launch their jointly owned online venture Hulu, which will make NBC and Fox programs available on several major Web portals including AOL. CBS shows are already available on AOL.

PASS THE POPCORN, PLEASE!

ALSO: Web 3.0: From AOL to TechCrunch, NYC Takes Center Stage

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN

Filed under: Video, Online Advertising, Google, YouTube, NBC Universal
Written by: Donna Bogatin @ 9:34 am

 

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