File this as more of a curiosity rather than hard-hitting news, but while watching 60 Minutes tonight, I noticed an on-air promo directing people to watch the episode’s interview with Dolly Parton on Fancast. Not at CBSNews.com, or CBS-owned (s CBS ) TV.com — but on the Comcast-owned Fancast (s CMSCA).
Fancast isn’t even carrying the full episode, just the interview with Dolly Parton. Both TV.com and CBSNews.com are working 9 to 5, as it were, each carrying the entire episode online. Maybe 60 Minutes does this every week (it’s the first episode I’ve watched in a long time), or perhaps it’s part of some legacy promotional agreement — or the CBS entities aren’t fully synergized yet.
It caught my attention because 60 Minutes is in a bit of a ratings uptick lately, averaging 15 million viewers per episode. That’s a lot of eyeballs that could be directed to TV.com, CBS’s premium content rival to Hulu. Hulu’s traffic has been surging lately as well, and you’d think CBS would want to keep it’s hard-earned 60 Minutes watchers on CBS properties. The rivalry between Hulu and TV.com heated up recently as Hulu yanked its content from TV.com, something TV.com says it will fight.
Looks like last night’s Full Episode of 60Minutes is up on Fancast now.
http://www.fancast.com/tv/60-Minutes/97707/1084568297/60-Minutes%2C-04.05.09/videos
Well 60 Minutes clearly knows a great web site when it sees it! :)
And f.y.i., Fancast also has several fun unaired outtakes from Morley Safer’s interview with Dolly Parton (not available anywhere else), in addition to the full interview. All are at
http://www.fancast.com/tv/60-Minutes/97707/1083921856/Dolly-Parton/videos
Also, there’s an archival library of classic 60 Minutes interviews and stories.
Cheers,
Jim (for Fancast)