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Tidal TV: A Look At A New Streaming Video Site
Posted by Kenneth Carter -- The Birmingham News October 20, 2008 5:30 AM
Categories: Web Surfing
Special
Computers are fast creating a virtual perfect storm. The slack-jawed Web surfer has successfully merged with the glassy-eyed couch potato to form TV viewing on demand. Watching TV on the computer is not a new concept. You can download shows on iTunes, and you can watch many network shows on their Web sites usually the day after an episode airs in primetime. There are also sites like Joost and Hulu that exist to give surfers a boob-tube fix. But there's a new kid on the Information Super Highway that's offering even more options when it comes to watching television while you work. It's called Tidal TV, and it's the brainchild of CEO Scott Ferber, an engineer who felt his creation had a place among the cyber TV viewing sites already out there. The look and feel of Tidal TV will give many television watchers who are used to viewing a program grid with their cable or satellite a sense of familiarity. Upon entering the site, you're greeted by a similar program grid that lets you immediately scroll through what's available.
Ferber's goal with Tidal TV was to create another way for viewers to watch television.
"We're not meant to replace television," he said. "We're extending it. We're trying to reach people where they are."
People spend about 10 to 20 percent of their waking hours in front of the TV, Ferber said. And about 50 percent of their time is spent at a computer.
Ferber's goal is to give those computer users some of the same quality content that they find on television.
Of course, quality is in the eye of the beholder, but Tidal TV has offerings that will not only entertain but inform. And isn't that what the computer should be used for?
Ferber wants his site to be the place for users to go for their relevant interests.
"If you're a food fanatic, you're going to come to our site," he said.
Serendipitous discovery
One of Ferber's marketing catch phrases is "serendipitous discovery."
It's basically a fancy way of how Ferber hopes to capture a lot of his audience.
Most people these days don't tune in ahead of time for a particular program. They, instead, discover while surfing a channel guide, he said. That is serendipitous discovery.
Which is, perhaps one of the main reason the site emulates a cable grid.
Ferber said his site does offer some programming from CBS and CW, but its main focus is on shows with news and instructional content, at least for now.
You'll find a lot of shows from Food Network, HGTV, CNBC, The Weather Channel and National Geographic, just to name a few. If you float your cursor over a show, you immediatley get more information. If you want to watch it, just click. You can also create a list of favorites.
Ad-supported
You'll have to create an account to make a favorites list, but if you don't want to, you can just start watching any content Tidal TV has to offer. It's free, thanks to advertising. But unlike a DVR, you'll have to watch those commercials. Well, you could grab a sandwich or take a bathroom break, but fast forwarding to the next act isn't going to happen, so sit tight and enjoy the ad.
This sort of captive watching should make advertisers happy.
Tidal TV won't make you forget about the other sites. And if you missed your favorite program last night, you're not going to find it here. But it is a welcome addition to the streaming video sites that offer actual quality content, with a dash of classic television thrown in for good measure.
And after all, isn't that YouTube video you've watched 200 times getting a little old by now?
Posted by Kenneth Carter -- The Birmingham News October 20, 2008 5:30 AM
Categories: Web Surfing
Special
Computers are fast creating a virtual perfect storm. The slack-jawed Web surfer has successfully merged with the glassy-eyed couch potato to form TV viewing on demand. Watching TV on the computer is not a new concept. You can download shows on iTunes, and you can watch many network shows on their Web sites usually the day after an episode airs in primetime. There are also sites like Joost and Hulu that exist to give surfers a boob-tube fix. But there's a new kid on the Information Super Highway that's offering even more options when it comes to watching television while you work. It's called Tidal TV, and it's the brainchild of CEO Scott Ferber, an engineer who felt his creation had a place among the cyber TV viewing sites already out there. The look and feel of Tidal TV will give many television watchers who are used to viewing a program grid with their cable or satellite a sense of familiarity. Upon entering the site, you're greeted by a similar program grid that lets you immediately scroll through what's available.
Ferber's goal with Tidal TV was to create another way for viewers to watch television.
"We're not meant to replace television," he said. "We're extending it. We're trying to reach people where they are."
People spend about 10 to 20 percent of their waking hours in front of the TV, Ferber said. And about 50 percent of their time is spent at a computer.
Ferber's goal is to give those computer users some of the same quality content that they find on television.
Of course, quality is in the eye of the beholder, but Tidal TV has offerings that will not only entertain but inform. And isn't that what the computer should be used for?
Ferber wants his site to be the place for users to go for their relevant interests.
"If you're a food fanatic, you're going to come to our site," he said.
Serendipitous discovery
One of Ferber's marketing catch phrases is "serendipitous discovery."
It's basically a fancy way of how Ferber hopes to capture a lot of his audience.
Most people these days don't tune in ahead of time for a particular program. They, instead, discover while surfing a channel guide, he said. That is serendipitous discovery.
Which is, perhaps one of the main reason the site emulates a cable grid.
Ferber said his site does offer some programming from CBS and CW, but its main focus is on shows with news and instructional content, at least for now.
You'll find a lot of shows from Food Network, HGTV, CNBC, The Weather Channel and National Geographic, just to name a few. If you float your cursor over a show, you immediatley get more information. If you want to watch it, just click. You can also create a list of favorites.
Ad-supported
You'll have to create an account to make a favorites list, but if you don't want to, you can just start watching any content Tidal TV has to offer. It's free, thanks to advertising. But unlike a DVR, you'll have to watch those commercials. Well, you could grab a sandwich or take a bathroom break, but fast forwarding to the next act isn't going to happen, so sit tight and enjoy the ad.
This sort of captive watching should make advertisers happy.
Tidal TV won't make you forget about the other sites. And if you missed your favorite program last night, you're not going to find it here. But it is a welcome addition to the streaming video sites that offer actual quality content, with a dash of classic television thrown in for good measure.
And after all, isn't that YouTube video you've watched 200 times getting a little old by now?