More On Cable And Online Video: Only Part Of The Big Picture

imageLast night when I mentioned online that I was watching Elvis Costello’s Spectacle, the quick response from a TV-less friend was how could he find it online? Legally, he can’t; only a few top clips are on the Sundance Channel microsite. We forgot to set our DVR with a season pass so we’re picking episodes as we can from Charter’s VOD. It’s not that easy: the number of episodes on demand are limited and it takes someone with a higher grade in mindreading than I have to figure out when one will be available. That could change if Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) and other cable operators get their way.

The Wall Street Journal first reported late last week that some MSOs and programmers are discussing ways to provide cable subscription content online. We also reported that another idea in the works is to provide more extensive cable VOD; the two are not mutually exclusive.

More after the jump

My friend, who doesn’t subscribe to cable, still wouldn’t have access but — and this is all still very if-then — a cable subscriber whose operator makes a deal with Rainbow Media’s Sundance Channel might be able to watch any episode on demand online. Take that idea and fill in the blank with other cable programming, particularly programming that isn’t already online for free so the cable operator can have an exclusive, for a sense of what MSOs are looking for from programmers when it comes to an edge against other pay services and against all the free, legal ad-supported services like Hulu, TV.com, Sling.com, and Comcast’s Fancast.

NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) told the Journal it would take part in a trial. The Disney/ABC Television Group hasn’t yet made a decision, EVP Albert Cheng told me. “We have been presented with that opportunity. We aren

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