In the last year or so i have been using internet streaming to receive tv broadcasts that i normally would not get because of no local stations.It seems that not too many do it and from what i have heard and read!for some tv stations its not a good idea and will hurt the bottom line.I really dont understand why more broadcasters dont use the live streaming since its only another tool to receive a broadcast and would increase viewers!Not decrease them.Is it cost,regulations or something else that have prevented Live TV internet TV streaming to catch on more that it has.
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Internet TV Streaming (looking for some opinions!)
- Thread starter stanleyjohn
- Start date
I know of one television station here in eastern North Carolina who streams 24/7 with local programming, WHIG-TV in Rocky Mount, go to www.whigtv.com and you can watch them.
The cost of bandwidth is a big reason it isn't widely used. Businesses pay more for their internet than residential users do. Even if it were more affordable, the number of users can slow down the stream during peak usage. So until the technology improves, it won't be ready for primetime. I believe commercials are another issue as to why more broadcasters aren't doing live streaming of their TV station. Many radio stations that stream have to block out commercials from the stream. I have watched an occasional live stream & I found it to be too slow. The internet stream from my experience also was on a delay of at least 2 minutes. So for now, most stations that have internet streaming normally post select segments of their newscasts to watch anytime.
Dave said:
Exactly why would commercials even be an issue? My uncle runs a car dealership who advertises on our local radio station. Last month on vacation he was listening to that radio station online only to notice his ads were blocked out. He complained about it only to get the line from the radio station "..we can't air you spot online..your ad is not allowed to be heard in distant markets".
Sounds odd !! If one isn't allowed to watch/hear out of market ads online, why is it allowed for someone say in North Carolina to able to watch Denver's KWGN on Dish Network..and of course they are allowed to watch local Denver TV commercials? What's the difference between the two? I don't get it !!!
bk77 said:
The radio thing has to do with the radio union. Using a local station from my area as example - The Union Thinks the HOT 93.7 and HOT 93.7 dot com are two separate stations so the union thinks the talent should me paid twice. The radio stations think that's its not. So they are required to block all ads on the stream. As for DISH NETWORK - KWGN along with KTLA, WWOR, WSBK, are part of DISH NETWORK's SUPERSTATION PACKAGE which is available for an additional $5/month.
I don't think it makes any sense to block any ad's from a stream.Its all the same station!internet,ota,sat or cable carry the broadcast to the listener.Advertisers will only benefit when more people are able to listener watch them.I do think maybe cable or sat providers may not like the idea of streaming because you can get what you want with streaming without paying a higher $$$$ package to see what you like.
MarcB said:
I understand the union thing if we are talking about stations that are located in large and major markets..but what about the many of small market radio stations that aren't a part of any union? Of all of the radio stations I was involved with over the years. not one of them was a part of any union even though there may have been a few times some of our staff would had wish they were.
We've been streaming for over a year now, and it does well for us. Two of our four channels are streaming, and you can access the streams from our website, http://www.wgsr47.com
Later this year, when we get more upstream from our ISP, we plan to put our other two channels on the net.
We use UStream for our station's streaming. It's simple to operate and VERY reliable. We just use a USB video capture device to get audio and video to the computer, then log into our UStream account and hit the "broadcast" button. Best thing about it is the cost . . . $0. They put an occasional advert bar on the stream, but it's a small price to pay for the service.
Later . . . .
Later this year, when we get more upstream from our ISP, we plan to put our other two channels on the net.
We use UStream for our station's streaming. It's simple to operate and VERY reliable. We just use a USB video capture device to get audio and video to the computer, then log into our UStream account and hit the "broadcast" button. Best thing about it is the cost . . . $0. They put an occasional advert bar on the stream, but it's a small price to pay for the service.
Later . . . .
Thumbs up to your station!I wish more stations thought the way yours does.Matt Smith said:
There are many TV stations streaming local news and talk but very few if any in the U-S stream network content. I'm sure that is because their affiliation agreements won't permit streaming. In Britain, both the BBC and ITV stream all of their content live 24/7, with the exception of some movies and imported programming for which they do not have streaming rights. I wonder not if but when North American TV networks will stream their programming live.
fussbudget said:
True but, in the interest of full disclosure, I'd like to point out that both BBC and ITV geocode their streams such that you can't view them outside of the UK. You can get bits and pieces of news reports abroad, but no live streams. Also, it is important to point out that anyone in the UK with a TV must pay an annual tax that is quite expensive. This tax pays for the BBC and for its streams. Different model than over here.
The CBC streams some programming, doesn't it? If so (or when they do), I am sure that they will geocode too so that you'd have to have a Canadian IP address to receive the streams.
The US networks won't do it until such time as they can make money from it AND can do it without pissing off the local affiliates. In case you hadn't noticed, local affiliates have become fiercely protective of their DMA's to the extent that they will drum out of market affiliates (which might compete with them) off of cable systems coast to coast. They surely won't want you streaming WABC if you're sitting in Pawtucket, RI where not even nearby WCVB is on cable anymore. So, there are a couple of issues there to be dealt with.
stanleyjohn said:
You would think eh? Actually when it comes to the advertisers themselves, they can be very anal when it comes to things like net streams or what commercials can air in certain parts of the country ( Safeway comes to mind here ). Even if they would like having you simply talking about them on the air in conversation. The latter throws out the theory "...I am sure they will be happy...I am giving them free advertising". A few years ago one our local morning jocks had made a comment on tha air in Maryland about how much he had enjoyed shopping at Meijer while he was in Indiana. Meijer somehow had heard about it, sent him a letter stating that the chain does not even want to be mentioned on the air in Maryland since they had no stores there and that there are no plans on opening up one there either.
Sometimes local laws can apply like when some station advertises fireworks, suppose one lives in a state where most fireworks are banned? Airing such an ad online could result in someone making that long trip only to be denied a sale.
And of course you have those old timers ( not many of them left though ) who refuses to allow their voice to be heard online, talent fees, etc.. Anyway one could really write a book about the pros-cons of allowing local commericals to air on a stream
Thanks for the useful info all! A Question! Is there some FCC regulation that prevents Tv stations to live stream its network programming or is it up to the local station and its network to decide.I heard somewhere that a tv station can stream its local programming but doing a network like ION,RTV etc was a No No.
stanleyjohn said:
I doubt the FCC has anything to do with streaming audio/video, its strictly a network thing. I can tell you that the networks DO monitor local radio and TV stations as well as other websites to see if they are streaming their programming without the proper OK. For many years I have heard that both ABC/Disney and FOX actually sport a rather large staff of people whose only job is to monitor websites alone and to bust anyone caught airing their programming online. Even their own affiliates can be subject to a lawsuit if not the loss of their network programming if they are caught.
Local programming is usually not a problem as far as streaming is concerned but its not totally clear such as maybe a newscast featuring something that can't be seen nationwide ( WGN's Morning News for example ). Or even something as simple as a guest. Say for example I am the host of a local TV Talk show and my guest is George Clooney talking about his latest movie. Clooney has every right to demand that the interview between me and him not be available on online.
There's no financial incentive to do so. Ad rates are based on Nielsen, who bases it on DMA, which Nielsen defines, not the FCC
So if I am in NC and streamonline and get 2 million extra viewers in NYC, those viewers don't count. Because advertisers pay on your Nielsen numbers that are IN market
The same way like in South Bend, IN, it's possible to get Chicago TV. So if I'm watching "Big Bang Theory," on WBBM in Chicago, the local South Bend TV CBS affillate gets no credit for it because there's no one watching the station and WBBM doesn't get credit for viewer watching outside their DMA
So if I am in NC and streamonline and get 2 million extra viewers in NYC, those viewers don't count. Because advertisers pay on your Nielsen numbers that are IN market
The same way like in South Bend, IN, it's possible to get Chicago TV. So if I'm watching "Big Bang Theory," on WBBM in Chicago, the local South Bend TV CBS affillate gets no credit for it because there's no one watching the station and WBBM doesn't get credit for viewer watching outside their DMA
JeeperOne
Banned
Let's not forget a few things.....
1) ABC makes its programs available to its affiliates for streaming on their websites as well as abc.com one day after they air on the network. True it's not live, but it's still online TV (FOX offers something similar on its website)
2) Many Government & Community Access channels are available via the Internet
3) Despite claims to the contrary here, foreign broadcast networks CAN be seen outside of their home country. I've seen the english services of Al Jazeera, CCTV, SKY News & BBC World (Just to name a few) online.
4) Every Gannett-owned station can be seen on LiveStream (The site also hosts a number of other stations INCLUDING the KFVE/KHNL/KGMB triopoly in Hawaii)
This website is a GREAT resource to find broadcast of all kinds from just about every country on the planet. I've found it to be quite useful.
Just my $.02 worth.....
Cheers
1) ABC makes its programs available to its affiliates for streaming on their websites as well as abc.com one day after they air on the network. True it's not live, but it's still online TV (FOX offers something similar on its website)
2) Many Government & Community Access channels are available via the Internet
3) Despite claims to the contrary here, foreign broadcast networks CAN be seen outside of their home country. I've seen the english services of Al Jazeera, CCTV, SKY News & BBC World (Just to name a few) online.
4) Every Gannett-owned station can be seen on LiveStream (The site also hosts a number of other stations INCLUDING the KFVE/KHNL/KGMB triopoly in Hawaii)
This website is a GREAT resource to find broadcast of all kinds from just about every country on the planet. I've found it to be quite useful.
Just my $.02 worth.....
Cheers
Certain BBC programs and all of BBC radio are available outside the UK, but I defy you to try to use either iPlayer or ITVplayer to watch anything without using a proxy server. There are ways to watch the live streams but they don't always work (some TV platforms find them from time to time, but the networks know this and change addresses often). Sometimes people with slingboxes will trade access to be able to see things, but you need to be able to reciprocate. There's also some folks who put up streams of things for others (I see that sometimes on keyholetv, someone is running CNN currently) but that is few and far between. Try fooling around with some of those chinese p2p streaming platforms (it's not file sharing, nothing is saved, just a similar distribution technology for the streaming packets), you'll be surprised at the channels you'll find and Keyhole TV is pretty interesting, but it's mostly japanese and quality is poor to make up for bandwidth.
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