While the other Big Four broadcast networks are working on plans to let their affiliates stream a combination of network and local content to smartphones and other wireless devices, CBS looks to be lagging behind.
TV EVERYWHERE
CBS Slow On Affiliate Streaming Plan
TV everywhere was the talk of the affiliate board meetings during the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas this week — at least everywhere but the CBS affiliate board meeting, said Chris Cornelius, CBS affiliate board chairman.
“The other affiliates — ABC, NBC and Fox — have all developed a technology that is going to provide in a sort of walled-garden way to affiliates, and CBS just isn’t there yet,” said Cornelius, who is also COO of Barrington Broadcasting Group LLC.
Cornelius told TVNewsCheck that the CBS affiliates believe that the TV everywhere concept — ensuring that consumers have access to their TV station signals over their smartphones and other portable electronic devices — is critical for all broadcasters.
“We’ve got to be where our viewers are, and from our point of view, it’s critical that we understand how that will work and that we have got the rights to our signals in our markets on all mobile devices,” Cornelius said.
Cornelius also said that CBS has granted affiliates “modified rights for a number of markets” for affiliate over-the-air signals to be used on mobile devices. “But their over-the-top strategy, they have not yet really talked to us — the board — about that,” Cornelius said. “I believe that they have been hard at work on a TV everywhere solution that would be inclusive of the affiliates, but no announcement has been made.”
During the Monday (April 8) board meetings, the affiliates also discussed ways that that they might be able to play a larger role with CBS Newspath, the network’s 24-hour TV news service to which affiliates contribute content.
BRAND CONNECTIONS
“We’ve been working on having a little more input on how that service might be a little bit more valuable to everybody,” Cornelius said. “There’s been a lot of conversation, a lot of movement, but I think we’re going to wait until the May [affiliates] meetings to really define what changes we might be making to that news service,” Cornelius said.
TV everywhere proposals dominated the ABC, NBC and Fox affiliate board meetings in Las Vegas earlier this week.
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