BSG, Surface and other reruns available as PPV

[Thornir Alekeg]

Article here:

CNN.com

NBC will be offering replays of a couple of Law & Order shows, Surface, The Office and BSG to Direct TV subscribers with a Direct TV DVR. They will be available shortly after initial broadcast and will cost 99 cents.

CBS will be doing something similar through Comcast.

What I want to know is, if you have a DVR, why wouldn't you record the show when it airs rather than pay a buck for it later? If you forgot to record an episode, would you pay $1 for a replay?

 

[Pyrex]

Presumably when you pay your $0.99 you get a copy with no commercials.

There are still reasons to buy it even if you have a DVR. Say you forgot to record it, or the record failed for some reason. Or it's a show you don't usually watch but someone says "OMG! You must see episode n!"

$1/ep is still well below the the $40 or so a season I pay to purchase shows on DVD, so provided said $1/ep is a *purchase* and not a *rental* I would certainly consider it.

Especially if what I get is a high-res (preferably HiDef when available), commercial-free episode shortly after the episode airs.

For Ex: I don't get the channel that airs BSG in HD. I would *absolutely* pay $1/ep to watch them commercial-free, in HD, the day after they air.

 

[Sir Brennen]

CBS' approach is the OnDemand (Comcast) episodes will be free, but with commercials.

For the DirectTV stuff, I'd think the DVR requirement means you can record your purchase for keeps, though I'm just guessing.

One interesting effect of this is that everyone becomes a "neilsen box" that uses these on demand, PPV type of services; networks will have a more accurate method of measuring viewership.

Pyrex - BTW, aside from a handful of episodes aired on NBC, BSG isn't broadcast anywhere in HD. Most Cable networks will probably be slower to make the switch to HD than broadcast, as well.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Missed the commerical-free aspect on first reading. OK, that makes a little more sense.

CBS shows offered in this deal will also be commerical-free and 99 cents, not part of the free OnDemand lineup on Comcast currently.

From the article:

Like NBC's shows, CBS on-demand programs will be sold for 99 cents per episode, the same price online music sites typically charge for downloads of a single song.

While everyone with this becomes a "Neilsen box", if the replays are commercial free then what is the point of Neilsen ratings? Advertisers won't pay more for shows heavily downloaded, possibly even less since presumably that means fewer people watching the initial broadcast with commericals.

I don't have a DVR. Can you transfer something off your DVR to DVD and have a permanent copy? If not, how much capacity does a DVR have?

 

[Pyrex]

Pyrex - BTW, aside from a handful of episodes aired on NBC, BSG isn't broadcast anywhere in HD. Most Cable networks will probably be slower to make the switch to HD than broadcast, as well.

*goes and checks*
Apparently it isn't anymore, but season 1 ran in HD on the 'Universal HD' station.

 

[Pyrex]

I don't have a DVR. Can you transfer something off your DVR to DVD and have a permanent copy? If not, how much capacity does a DVR have?

Both depend on both the DVR in question. There are known methods for many DVR's for transferring the content to a PC. Depending on the quality settings & the size of the drive DVR capacity tends to range in the 20-100hr range.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Missed the commerical-free aspect on first reading. OK, that makes a little more sense.

CBS shows offered in this deal will also be commerical-free and 99 cents, not part of the free OnDemand lineup on Comcast currently.

This is what I read in an AP article (from my Comcast homepage: )

Comcast's service will be available starting in January to customers in markets with a CBS owned-and-operated television station, which includes the nation's seven largest media markets. The episodes will be available as early as midnight following a broadcast and will include commercials.

Hence, the "Neilsen Box" relevance.

That contradicts the CNN article you cited. Not sure which is correct.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

This is what I read in an AP article (from my Comcast homepage: )
Hence, the "Neilsen Box" relevance.

That contradicts the CNN article you cited. Not sure which is correct.

I heard last night that CBS shows will include commercials,the CNN article was incorrect.

 

[Hand of Evil]

What once was free in America you now pay for...or soon will be, radio is going to XM, TV to cable/sat, VCR to TVio, and so on. It is the extras, shows on-demand means naked people and more blood & guts (maybe, big maybe), it also means identifing the cost; if 2 million people watch a show, you know that and make 2 million $/show (44 million/season of 22 shows), if 20 million watch...mmmmmmm, you see a drop in profit of a show, you drop it. In five years or less you bring back the ads.

 

[LightPhoenix]

What once was free in America you now pay for...or soon will be, radio is going to XM, TV to cable/sat, VCR to TVio, and so on.

You have an interesting definition of free. I get my bill from Time Warner every month for the basic stations. I paid money for my VCR and for tapes. I paid money for my radio. I watched commercials interrupting my shows, and listened to them interrupting my music, and sure I didn't pay out of my pocket, but someone else did to put those there.