Earlier this month Time Warner Cable launched an iPad app that would allow you to stream live TV over Wi-Fi in your home. Great, right? Apparently it was so great that a few networks demanded that their channels be removed from the app. You will no longer be able to stream the following network/channels:
• Discovery channels: Animal Planet, Discovery, TLC
• Fox channels: FX, National Geographic
• Viacom channels: BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Spike, VH1
Why, you ask? According to the Business Insider:
“It’s that they think they can establish new rights and maybe new fees for it, because they think “iPad streaming” is a new experience, and not part of cable TV. Lawyer stuff.”
So let me get this straight… Time Warner is not charging for this service. The app is free. You’re in your own house, watching it just like you would be watching it on a TV. Somehow, though, these networks think they should be able to make a few more bucks off of it? Which in turn means they would be making a few more bucks off of you, the consumer. Lame. If you want my opinion, when it comes to anything Apple, people are constantly trying to figure out how they can ride on their financial coattails as well.
Time Warner didn’t let this get them down. They rebounded and added an additional 20 channels to the streaming line up. I have the feeling the offerings will be in flux until some sort of standard is set. While some reports think that Time Warner caved too easily, if the iPad streaming was really only 2% of their viewing audience, why would you potentially jeopardize everyone’s ability to watch them? So for all of you that were enjoying taking a bubble bath while watching MTV, you’re out of luck for now.
So let us know in the comments, are you a Time Warner Cable subscriber that is effected by this? Are you mad?
Article Via Business Insider
