iPad owners can now stream live cable courtesy of Time Warner’s TWCable TV app. The move follows similar strategies from other telecompetetitors including Comcast, Verizon, and DISH TV, all of whom are trying to capitalize on the booming new segment of media tablets.
“We are tremendously excited about this app, which is the first of many that will allow our customers to harness the power of their tablet-type devices. No other cable company has done this, and we are thrilled to be the first,” stated Rob Marcus, Time Warner Cable president and COO. “Helping our customers see the content they’re paying for on multiple devices makes their Time Warner Cable subscription even more valuable, and they can expect much more from us in this space very soon.”
The TWCable TV app currently allows about 30 cable networks to play live TV on the iPad. Watching video on the iPad is restricted to in-home viewing, a similar approach to Comcast’s Xfinity TV app. Comcast currently allows VOD viewing, but promises live TV is coming soon. Verizon is in a similar boat.
DISH Network likes to flaunt the fact that their Sling enabled application does not have these restrictions and allows customers to view whatever content is accessible through the appropriately synched set-top-box within the home on their iPad.
Regardless of the approach, make no mistake, watching video on media tablets will soon become an expectation of customers, challenging all service providers to respond.
Seems like they've run into some execution problems. I do find it really interesting that the TW CableTV App was the "most downloaded app in the iTunes store" on its first day, which unfortunately led to some problems.