AOL is in talks with independent TV production houses to develop new online content, says Forbes. The aim is to develop different content for particular audiences, depending on their connection speed. C/Net says America Online is also expected to launch an Internet phone service next month, leapfrogging rivals as it seeks to evolve from an also-ran provider of dial-up Internet access to a broadband services powerhouse.
AOL has worked successfully with the likes of Endemol and Celador in the past, on Big Brother and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? respectively.
The changes have become necessary as AOL’s customers have become more seasoned users of the Web and shifted away from dial-up access. Its broadband users now account for more than half the time spent on the AOL network, and as they become more Web-savvy it’s harder for AOL to keep them within its own sites.
“We’re competing with the best of the Web,” acknowledged Gilbey, adding, “The structure we had was based on being mainly a dial-up company.”
CinemaNow, the leader in video-on-demand for broadband, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Endemol USA, a leading producer of unscripted television content, such as “Extreme Makeover” to offer more than 75 hours of reality programming for download via the CinemaNow Web site. The deal marks the first time that any season of the hit tv shows will be available in their entirety, on-demand via the Internet.
Strategy Analytics‘ report “Mobile TV: Hype not Justified by Demand!” arguing that the vendor-led rush to bring broadcast services to market misses the critical issues of uncertain demand for mobile TV. Additionally, poorly defined costs associated with infrastructure deployment will extend ROI for mobile broadcast networks beyond the currently envisaged two to four years. Qualcomm’s MediaFlo and DVB-H expect to launch in the United States next year using non-cellular frequencies.
Meanwhile, Big Blue announced a partnership Wednesday with browser maker Opera to produce a voice-activated programming guide. IBM engineers expect it to become the foundation for numerous consumer gadgets that will use speech recognition to replace bewildering menus and clumsy control systems.
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