AfterDawn: News

TV Guide wants to help you find TV shows online

TV Guide is taking the leap into the world of online television offerings with a new service called the Online Video Guide, debuting on their website today. The idea is to help site to the publication's website go straight to the best sources for television shows and related content. For example, a search for a show that's available on a television network website should show that offering first. Additional features will include an option to narrow the search to free video, eliminating online stores like Amazon Unbox or Apple's iTunes.

"We're filling a niche that Google and YouTube are not because they're not strictly TV-focused," said Paul Greenberg, General Manager of TV Guide Online. He also says that 70% of YouTube users are more interested in professionaly produced video, rather than the user produced content that site is famous for.



While the number of visitors to TV Guide Online has increased an estimated 70% in the last year, subscriptions to their traditional weekly publications of regular TV programming has fallen dramatically over several years.

Although they currently don't receive any monetary compensation outside their own advertising for directing visitors to videos, TV Guide hopes to negotiate deals with content providers for some sort of revenue sharing.

It's refreshing to see a long established company recognize that changing technology has created new oppurtunities to develop revenue streams as established markets disappear or become less profitable.

Source: Reuters

Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 2 Oct 2007 9:46

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• 5 comments

• windsong

  Who the hell uses YouTube for TV shows?!
  
  Have they never heard of Usenet? emule? BitTorrent?
  
  And, we dont NEED your help TVGuide.

  2.10.2007 10:58 #1

• Jlhfit

  Jump on the internet bandwagon

  2.10.2007 13:08 #2

• LottieB

  I'm from LocateTV (http://www.locatetv.com), a film and TV search site just gone into public beta and I'd like to know any opinions on it from the afterdawn commnuity, as you obviously have pretty strong ones about this area! It has a very 'Google' like clean feel and lets you search for when and where a programme, film or actor is next showing on TV, online or DVD, specific to your region (US and UK), so it's very comprehensive but absolutely focus on legitimate, professional content of all types.
  
  Any thoughts?

  5.10.2007 01:58 #3

• borhan9

  A youtube tv guide would be good would love to have something like that on the homepage :)

  9.10.2007 19:09 #4

• Norm9

  Hmmm! can someone clarify something for me,when i noticed this a few weeks ago, i came across a similar sounding site & i thought it was the same one-but now im not!
  
  Have a look yourselves & let me know:
  
  TV GUIDE - ONLINE VIDEO GUIDE
  
  OVG - Online Video Guide
  
  Quote:TV Guide is taking the leap into the world of online television offerings with a new service called the Online Video Guide,The reason i was asking is the one on TVGuide's site is only based in US & cannot play videos here in Europe as OVG gives you an index of sites that you can play the videos here!
  
  So is it two versions of the same thing?

  22.10.2007 23:17 #5