Freeview wants streaming video

A Freeview-branded online video hub to bring on-demand streaming video to TV screens is the “next major chapter in free-to-air TV,” says Freeview chairman Kim Dalton.

Freeview broadcasters will join forces to create the service in an effort to stave off competition from alternate platforms.

Dalton, who is also ABC’s Director of Television, has told the Sydney Morning Herald: “The next big challenge confronting the ABC and the free-to-air television platform is to deliver a television streaming experience online and on-demand to the TV in the lounge room, and I think we will do that.”

He indicated the ABC intends to offer the feature within 12-18 months and reiterated that in the current climate it makes sense for FTA networks to work together.

Of course iView already exists and it’s pretty neat considering. But we get the drift.

”In the not-too-distant future there will be other platforms that can be delivered onto that big TV screen as well, so the challenge for broadcasters is to absolutely embed the free-to-air platform as the continuing dominant provider of quality and diverse television. That’s our major task and through Freeview I think we can do it.”

It’s probably worth noting that networks have had their hand forced on this, including by the ABC’s own experiments to bring iView to the Playstation.

Thankfully for networks, these days online rights are sewn into every show greenlit by networks.

But public statements so far from commercial FTA networks hasn’t indicated any consensus on whether such moves for extended catch-up TV would be subscription, pay-as-you-go or advertiser driven.

Probably worth another one of those TV bashes in Canberra to nut it out…that last one sounded better than the Logies.

Source: smh.com.au