ISP behemoth AOL yesterday announced plans to introduce a free online television service in 2006.
In a project that's been in the works for some time now, the online service - in2TV - will consist of six genre divided channels, covering comedy, drama, action and more.
Working together with Warner Bros., another company that sits under the AOL Time Warner umbrella, AOL can negotiate rights to a vast array of American TV programmes, which, they hope, will draw in the viewers. The ties AOL can make with Warner Bros. will likely give them an advantage over others trying to build similar schemes. Reuters sum it well:
Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. threaten to bypass traditional media outlets by linking computer users with TV shows online, striking partnerships with programmers, or create it themselves, but what they lack AOL now possess in abundance -- the shows themselves.
The service will be supported by adverts, of course. So, if AOL and Warner Bros. can play nicely together and if people actually watch the online television shows, could AOL give birth to the first large scale online television service? We'll know early next year.
