Free IPTV on an AOL channel near you
by Kevin C. Tofel 
posted Nov 14th 2005 at 11:01AM
Doesn't look it will be high-def and it certainly won't be current shows, but the concept is fresh. AOL is planning to launch "In2TV"
after the new year begins and will feed consumers free television
content via web. The approach makes sense since AOL is a Time Warner
company and has access to the Warner Brothers television shows sitting
on a shelf somewhere.The plan is to dust off the so-called "vintage" shows and offer them for download with a few 15-second advertisements inserted. Watch for the pre-web classics like "Welcome Back Kotter," "Growing Pains" and "Kung Fu", all of which are coming to a small screen near you.
The initial rollout isn't really getting me that excited; there's plenty of good television on now. When you think about applying this concept to the future, however, there's plenty of value there; could we see a new IPTV "company" being born? Will we see television shows delivered by the AOL guy above?
Filed under: Industry
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
freestufftimes.com @ Nov 14th 2005 11:37AM
When is the last time AOL had done anything great? I don't really see this taking off, plus having shows like those doesn't really make it any more attractive.
Kevin C. Tofel @ Nov 14th 2005 11:51AM
I hear what you're saying, but I also see some great strides to bring quality audiovideo content to the masses: AOL Radio with XM and the Live 8 concert come to mind in particular. I won't be watching shows like this either, but I'm trying to look ahead a little; if content rights could be procured for recent shows, this could get a little more interesting and might stem the iTunes video tidal wave. Still; good points...let's wait and see how this shakes out.