Reruns on Demand
Time Warner cable is in talks with the four big networks to create a Hits channel, which would make episodes of programs available soon after their broadcast premieres on an on-demand basis.
The service would be limited to the top-rated shows, possibly for a 50 cent fee per show, though Time-Warner spokesman Mark Harrad would neither confirm nor deny that rumor. He would, however, say this: “It’s just another outlet for customers to do time-shifting. It wouldn’t necessarily substitute for and could complement DVRs (digital video recorders).”
And there is the rub - who is the market for this service? Cable subscribers without VCRs or DVRs, or subscribers with them who forget to set their timers. You could also describe a scenario where someone goes to the office and hears that Emilio Estevez made an unannounced cameo on Two and a Half Men, and since you’re a big Repo Man fan you wish you’d seen it. Now you can.
And which are the “top-rated” shows? Top Ten? Twenty? That depends on how popular the service is.
This is just a way, along with selling episodes to iPod users, for the networks to get more money on top of advertising sales. Not such a bad idea, and the only real concern is that it will cannibalize ratings for conventional reruns. Those numbers are so small now that a drop may go unnoticed.