Report: Cable carriers considering online video services

Big cable's (apparent) strategy against online video threats like Hulu and Boxee? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

That's the word from the Wall Street Journal (via Reuters), which reports that cable carriers such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable are considering their own, subscriber-only services that would offer streaming network TV shows plus "exclusive" extra content.

The idea, apparently, is that these cable-backed video Web sties would draw eyeballs away from Hulu.com by "offering a large amount of previously unavailable video," according to the Journal.

Both Comcast and Time Warner Cable have been talking to the likes of NBC, Viacom (owner of MTV, TNT, and USA), and Time Warner Inc. (itself a producer of network TV shows) about joining the supposed service.

OK, so what would this "previously unavailable video" entail? Reuters is sketchy on that point, but I'd imagine we're talking deleted scenes, Webisodes, interviews with cast and crew, and the like. (And yes, ads would be included.)

Now, from a viewer's standpoint, not all that interesting (or at least, not to me) … but the news underlines how streaming video—once just an afterthought for big cable and the networks—is fast becoming a significant source of revenue, and for now, big cable doesn’t have a clear piece of it.

And frankly, were I running Comcast or another of the big carriers, I'd be feeling pretty anxious about the future. There's clearly a demand for streaming video sites like Hulu, as well as a means for delivering streaming content to the TV in your living room—think Boxee. (Yes, Hulu pulled its streams from Boxee as of today, but as ZDNet's Larry Dignan wrote Thursday, the "Web video genie is out of the bottle.")

Now, there's still a piece of the puzzle for cable in terms of broadband Internet service, but what happens when wireless carriers (like Verizon Wireless and AT&T) start offering 4G data service, which is just as fast (or faster) than the broadband coming from your cable modem? Uh oh.

What cable needs is a serious online strategy, something akin to Netflix's brilliant "Watch Now" streaming service (which, as Netflix execs already know, is destined to replace the company's signature DVDs-by-mail service). OK, but what'll it be? I don't know, but exclusive deleted scenes and interviews probably won't cut it.

So, what do you think—what kind of "exclusive" online video would lure you away from Hulu.com? Deleted scenes and extras? Or what about a massive archive of episodes, bigger than the limited selection on Hulu? Now that might be interesting.

Related:
Cable providers eye offering TV shows online: report [Reuters]