When it comes to showing video on the Web, Time Warner's
AOL's service, called In2TV and described as the first broadband TV network, will launch with Intel
We've known AOL's video service was on its way for a while now. It will offer a lot of classic TV -- that's where Time Warner comes in, since it's already got the rights to a lot of video content through Warner Bros., putting AOL way ahead of the game from the start. Whereas other rivals might worry about copyright, AOL can offer this content on an easy, legal, low-cost basis. It already has thousands of pieces of content lined up, although it's also in talks to provide content from other companies. For now, skeptics might wonder how popular super-retro content like Growing Pains;Scarecrow & Mrs. King;Welcome Back, Kotter; or Wonder Woman might be, but then again, I was surprised to read recently that Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity through digital downloading, so one really never knows.
The time is right for AOL's service, too, considering that Internet bellwether Yahoo!
Although the AOL unit of Time Warner has struggled for quite some time for relevance in a changing online world (where broadband became cheap and prevalent, and users were far more sophisticated, making AOL's old-school, dial-up-newbie advantage quickly obsolete), things are indeed looking rosier right now. After all, Internet advertising is very hot at the moment (some might argue too hot, given rising rates for such marketing), and a service like this definitely highlights a logical element of the future of this media conglomerate. After some shaky years, maybe AOL is really starting to get it.
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Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.