Watch.tv Blog » Television

“Cutting-edge TV” found on .tv

Tom C., Verisign — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:37:23 +0000

There was a great article in this Sunday’s Washington Post Arts & Style section entitled “Cutting-edge TV? It’s not on cable.” The article talks about how online video continues to grow into longer, more engaging, higher-quality shows. It also highlights some of the relative merits of creating an online show, like the ability to be more topical or more niche than traditional television. I read these types of articles because I follow activity in the online video space, and I truly enjoy the ones that showcase new or unique content. This article is great because it lists 9 great web shows and their concepts, but the really fantastic part is that the top two shows are .tv sites!

The first show is called EasytoAssemble.tv and stars Illeana Douglas and Justine Bateman (you may remember Bateman from the 80′s sitcom “Family Ties”) as out of work actors who get jobs at Ikea. I’d recommend skipping the pilot and going right into the first show – overall, the series has sort of a “Curb your Enthusiasm” vibe.

The second show is called Compulsions.tv – this one is similar to Showtime’s “Dexter”, but in my personal opinion much better. I watched the first episode of Dexter when it was first aired, and it failed to do in 60 minutes what Compulsions.tv did in 5 minutes – grab my interest.

Check out the full list, and maybe you’ll discover a new favorite show.

Video Vignettes Roundup: December 18

Michaela B., Verisign — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:30:37 +0000

Yes it’s Friday again, and there’s still a bunch of open tabs in the browser and unread stories in the feedreader. Here’s a quick list of video stories from the week that might be of interest:

Comcast Rolls Out TV Everywhere: Well not everywhere yet (not all Comcast subscribers have access yet), but it’s a start. Some of the reviews I saw said it was slow still and there are many naysayers for the concept. Plus, one might wonder if it’s more a move to slow the video equivalent of cord cutters verses a real service to customers. That said, it’s still an interesting move by a big player to the three screen video world everyone has talked about for years now.

Video and Shoes: I promise, I’ll stop talking about this one, but I saw some actual statistics from Zappos: they sell 6% to 30% more merchandise when accompanied by video. Wow!

Streamy Awards: Submissions opened this week. And, the International Academy of Web Television, that puts on the awards, named Blip.tv co-founder Dina Kaplan Vice Chair.

Santa Gets in the .tv Mood: For those wanting to send a special someone on their list a video from Santa, try out www.PortableNorthPole.tv. Thanks to my Facebook friends for pointing this out.

FCC Poised To Make Getting Videos To Your TV Easier?

Michaela B., Verisign — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:12:19 +0000

The Comcast/NBC Universal merger is getting much of the attention these days in the press and at the FCC. However, the New York Times had a piece today on an FCC request for comments (PDF) that is getting significantly less press play, but might be almost as impactful some day.

To quote the Times “Specifically, the commission wants to make it much easier for anyone who makes a video program to send it directly to your television set, without having to cut a deal with a cable company.”

The wheels of government move slowly, but they can make sweeping changes that create whole industries.

Another one time obscure ruling that changed communications history also started at the FCC and involved hardware attached a communication system…the Carterfone decision.

So, the video landscape is changing and blurring…but the FCC might just be trying to push that along.