The future of online television
With a constant stream of handheld gadgets and a plethora of wireless connections available for consumers, online television has become an alternative source for viewing favorite shows. Between school, work, soccer practice and personal commitments, sitting in an easy chair in front of the television is a rarity for busy people. Now, television is available online from a variety of sources, which allows you to watch your selected episodes on demand.
Television networks
Major television studios such as ABC, Fox, Warner Brothers and NBC expanded their websites and host episodes of most of their television series. In response, numerous online television websites are now available with a collection of programs from multiple networks. For example, ABC, NBC and Fox own the online video service Hulu.
Online services
Online television websites feature premium advertisers. You can expect approximately 30 seconds of introductory advertisements when watching an online television episode. For longer shows, you will find that the same advertisements included in regular programming often appear in the streaming online version of the show.
However, not all channels are available, and the online website may only have excerpts of shows, such as premium channels like HBO. Depending on the network website, you might be limited to viewing only four or five of the latest episodes. However, cable services such as Time Warner and Comcast and companies like Apple are developing subscription services where consumers can access an entire season as well as even previous seasons.
With the widespread availability of broadband or faster Internet services, online television can continue rapidly expanding channel lists and subscriber programs. The ability to stream selected shows using an Internet connection and your current television is an appealing and inexpensive option for watching television from any location.
