ABC will live stream Oscars to iOS devices for first time, but with restrictions

ABC on Thursday announced that it will be live streaming the 86th Academy Awards to the Web and mobile devices, including Apple's iOS lineup, but plans to limit access to subscribers of certain pay-TV providers in specific areas of the country.

According to Variety, ABC is restricting the Oscars live stream to Watch ABC users, both on the Web and on mobile, who subscribe to eight specific providers in eight owned-station regions.

Participating providers include AT&T U-verse, Cablevision, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Communications, Google Fiber, Midcontinent Communications and Verizon FiOS. The live stream will be available in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno, Calif., Houston, Chicago, Raleigh-Durham, N.C., Philadelphia and New York.

Along with the Web version, ABC will be piping multiple live feeds to users of the Watch ABC iOS app, including behind-the-scenes coverage from 15 backstage cameras. Sponsored once again by Samsung Galaxy, the "Oscars Backstage" content is available to all users regardless of location or provider. Previously, these special feeds were given their own app.

Video highlights and "Oscars Backstage" clips will be made available shortly after they air live, which translates to 5-10 minutes, the publication said. For the first time, ABC will also post coverage of the show's musical performances.

After the festivities, ABC will grant verified users access to an on-demand version of the entire pre-show and telecast for three days.

ABC's move to limit access to certain viewers is part of a larger plan to maintain leverage in negotiations with cable, satellite and other TV operators, Variety says. The network is looking to charge providers an extra fee for subscriber access to premium Watch ABC content.

Subscribers to the above-mentioned cable providers who live in eight specific regions can access ABC's coverage via Oscar.com, ABC.com, WatchABC.com and the Watch ABC app, which is available as a free 47.8MB download from the App Store.

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27 Comments

anantksundaram

said about 10 years ago

Ugh. Typical. They can stuff it.

ingela

said about 10 years ago

kinda insane how broadcasters and cable companies think they can stop their inevitable extinction. Ass moves like this, limiting web access will only hasten their extinction.

mstone

said about 10 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ingela

kinda insane how broadcasters and cable companies think they can stop their inevitable extinction. Ass moves like this, limiting web access will only hasten their extinction.

I think it is related to the fact that the cable companies have already paid the broadcaster for that content and it wouldn't be fair to the cable company or their subscribers for the broadcaster to give the content away for free to non cable subscribers.

ingela

said about 10 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by mstone

It's called trying to hold on to dying business by any means necessary. It's staggering when even major big money players like Apple and Intel cannot break into an industry because the unwillingness of the symbiotic-only-game-in-town institution of the cable and broadcast industries. Which like all established players, want to keep things just the way they are. Not going to happen. Just like how Apple and Google went around the Microsoft monopoly with the advent of the internet, the same thing will happen here. Technology will find a way around stagnant complacent dinosaurs.