AfterDawn: News

ABC to offer free TV show downloads as well

Earlier this week it was reported that NBC Universal would be launching a direct download service that would allow fans to download episodes of their TV shows for free.

Now, it seems ABC is hoping to steal some of NBC's thunder by making an announcement that they too will be offering their TV shows up for download free of charge. The shows will be offered on AOL Video and will be paid in full by embedded advertisements, just like NBC.



What makes ABC's new offering even more important is that with AOL Video, users have the option to watch streaming video or download the videos to watch at a later time, making themselves the first network to offer such options.

Some of the hit shows available on AOL Video will be "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy" with more new shows coming soon. ABC said it hopes to have four episodes of any given show online at once with older episodes being removed after a set number of days or weeks.

Source:
Dailytech

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 21 Sep 2007 19:43

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• 12 comments

• webe123

  CBS will probably follow....I guess the networks are starting to realize that people are not willing to pay for a TV show, when they can watch it for free at home.
  
  The people paying for shows on itunes are not even a drop in the bucket to those downloading TV shows for free!

  22.9.2007 09:28 #1

• miraail28

  This makes more sense. Now if the cable services were smart they can make more money by letting people pay for episodes. That way you will have people gladly pay for the shows they love to watch.

  22.9.2007 10:15 #2

• duckNrun

  And I bet you they make more money off this form of distribution than their share from the iTunes retail prices.
  
  Now all they need to do is make ALL episodes available for download and/or streaming and we will really be onto somethign here.

  22.9.2007 10:44 #3

• windsong

  Heh..complete with commercials/adware. No thanks. Usenet is just fine and dandy (to quote Gump) for TV shows...and bt, emule, etc.

  22.9.2007 11:13 #4

• duckNrun

  I would prefer no commercials myself but this is not a realistic expectation for a free service. As for Adware if there are things being installed that do so then this will be a problem and will be self defeating. I must have missed the part in the article about adware being a component of these streamed or downloaded files ;-)
  
  And while everything is free for the taking on Usenet and P2P sites there are still some people that recognize that just because something is free doesn't mean that it's right. As I tell a friend of mine who downloads s/w, rips,burns and makes dvd cases with the original cover art from rented movies EVERYTHING is free if one is willing to steal/take it. Food is free just run out the door-- or bette yet DONT run out the door and scam the place into giving it to you gratis, clothes are free just put them on underneath the clothes you wore into the store-- or any number of other tricks, and any car you want is free as well if you have the knowledge to take it.
  
  Being able to get/take something doesn't make it right. But then I have had enough of taking whatever I wanted from everyone and everything when I was younger and a much more truer 'pirate' than the terms equates to on this site.

  22.9.2007 11:59 #5

• mspurloc

  Wow.
  AOL Video.
  Nobody I work with has ever even heard of it.
  I unfortunately used to be a member before broadband was available here, so I had.
  Hardly a comparison, especially since they plan to foul it up with ads.

  22.9.2007 12:32 #6

• borhan9

  Bandwagon :P

  28.9.2007 05:51 #7

• pamsipod

  If I have the choice of watching with commericials for free, or watching without commercials for $, I am going to pay for the pleasure of avoiding commercials. Commercials are irritating, no matter how long, or how many. I don't want any commercials!

  28.9.2007 21:01 #8

• chinick

  Good for the USA audience. Sad to the audience in other countries. Despite Internet is of free access and we do pay to the cable operator to watch ABC and NBC (and other USA TV Channels) through Internet we are not allowed to view these shows.

  29.9.2007 05:17 #9

• pmshah

  Originally posted by pamsipod: If I have the choice of watching with commericials for free, or watching without commercials for $, I am going to pay for the pleasure of avoiding commercials. Commercials are irritating, no matter how long, or how many. I don't want any commercials!It is fine if you have a PAUSE button. On streaming media how would you go to the fridge to get your can of beer without a commercial break?

  30.9.2007 03:19 #10

• pamsipod

  pmshah,
  I do of course have a pause button, but even with the commercials they have online currently when you are watching a network program on the network site, they aren't long enough for a beer break. I think most of them are under 1 min. long. But as I said earlier, I would still rather pay than see any commercial, any length.

  30.9.2007 07:11 #11

• P51ride

  If the networks offer the downloads in Divx or Xvid avi format even with commercials included for free Count me in !!!!. If it's the same old DRM infested video files restricted to Windoze Media Player and / or iTunes forget it.

  22.10.2007 09:16 #12