Posted on 11/14/2005 11:01:44 PM PST by kingattax
LOS ANGELES - Dozens of old television shows including "Welcome Back Kotter" will be available online and free-of-charge under a deal between America Online Inc. and Warner Bros.
In the latest alternative to traditional TV viewing, a new broadband network called In2TV will be launched in early 2006 by AOL and Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution, the companies said Monday.
Besides the TV shows, In2TV will include games, polls and other interactive features.
"Welcome Back Kotter," "Sisters" and "Growing Pains" are among the 30 series to be offered initially. They will be grouped on channels by genre, including comedy, drama, animation, sci-fi and horror, action-adventure and "vintage TV."
In2TV plans to offer more than 100 TV series and at least 300 episodes per month in the first year, the companies said.
The shows will be delivered through AOL Video on Demand, AOL Video Search and AOL Television. At the time of launch, the programs will be available exclusively on AOL and will not be in syndication on TV, AOL official said.
Some of the shows will be offered in a new video format, "AOL Hi-Q," that AOL promises will offer DVD quality on a full computer screen. Users will be directed to a plug-in to install the technology on their computer.
The shows will include advertising, although it's not certain at this point how it will be displayed. Alternatives include an ad that streams before the programming starts or ads at the traditional commercial breaks when the shows aired on television.
In2TV will offer an early test of whether consumers can be persuaded to watch longer-form programming on their computer screens. Currently, much successful Internet programming runs only a few minutes long on the theory that many viewers don't have the patience to sit through longer shows at their desktop or laptop.
About 35 million U.S. homes now have broadband access, compared to 110 million homes with TV. About half of those Internet users say they have watched video online, according to industry analysts.
Several alternates to traditional TV viewing have been announced in recent weeks, including a deal between Apple Computer Inc. and Walt Disney Co. that makes reruns of "Lost" and other programs available as individual $1.99 downloads for viewing on computers or video-capable iPods.
CBS and NBC have also decided to allow video-on-demand of some of their primetime shows
Hewitt mentioned this during his show yesterday. Some of the other shows they'll be showing are cult shows like Babylon 5, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. and F-Troop. Heck, I'd consider downloading the Brisco County stuff.
They should bring back "I Led 3 Lives" about the US counterintellegence agent among communist spies working to undermine the United States. Based on actual casework.
That you can... FROM one of the tv show actors' families. Note, this is not "advertising", it is explanation (and justification).
http://www.ebonyshowcase.org/amosandy.htm
Buy Classic episodes of Amos n' Andy all in one set of 12 tapes or 18 DVDs from the Historic Theatre founded in 1950 by Original "Amos 'n' Andy" Castmember, Nick Stewart (Lightnin') and his wife Edna. These are better copies than you'll find elsewhere. All videos and DVDs are new in shrinkwrap!
Proceeds from the sale of these videos will help our non-profit Ebony Showcase Theatre and Cultural Arts Center, Inc., founded by Living Legend Edna Stewart and her husband Nick Stewart in 1950. Nick played Lightnin' the janitor on the Amos 'n' Andy TV show; and he is the voice of Disney's Brer Bear in the Song of the South full-length feature cartoon and on the Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland. 100% of the proceeds from videos sold on our website benefit the Ebony, and enable us to continue the humanitarian work and the dreams of Nick and Edna Stewart. In the early days, they created and supported the Ebony Showcase Theatre with money made from his acting career. Over the years, they presented and showcased the talent of many talented people who later became famous. Nick called the theatre "I"
One of the things to wonder when long staple rerun series are available on DVD (and now download). Sure you would watch it when it was what was on next, but if YOU chose the time to watch it AND you have to make an effort to select an individual episode, WILL you still watch each and every episode?
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