Fox delaying online broadcasts of television shows for 8 days

July 26, 2011 By Mike Flacy

Want to catch the latest episode of Family Guy the day after it airs on Fox? Without a subscription to a service like Hulu Plus, consumers are going to be waiting over a week.

On August 15 before the fall television season begins, Fox Broadcasting is shifting to an 8-day exclusivity window and preventing consumers from watching the latest episode of House or The Simpsons for free. According to the Wall Street Journal, consumers will be forced to wait for a bit over a week to catch up via online video on services like Fox.com and Hulu. However, subscribers of Hulu Plus and Dish Network will be able to see the latest episode 24 hours after the broadcast airs on Fox. These two companies are currently the only participants in Fox’s new authentication plan. Dish Network brings about 14 million people to the table while Hulu has about 2 million Hulu Plus subscribers.

Fox is currently in negotiations with other video distributors, but remains tight-lipped on potential partners. This is the first attempt of a major broadcast network to institute timed access to programming. However, cable networks like USA have used the times release window to limit access to popular shows like Pysch and Burn Notice. Other channels like HBO, ESPN, CNN and AMC are moving in the direction of online authentication. HBO limits access to its programming through the HBO GO portal and ESPN limits access to ESPN3 in the same fashion. Users have to verify providers through the website to gain access to the programming.

Moving to an authentication platform is designed to provide extra incentive for consumers with cable or satellite service and encourage them to keep paying monthly fees for programming access. Fox is worried that consumers are drifting away from cable and cutting off service due to the vast amount of free, online video options. It’s unclear if Fox will design a pricing model for online access to content without a subscription to a video provider. It’s likely Hulu will continue to be their portal for subscription revenue as Fox owns 31 percent of the company.

Showing 17 comments

Jared Sirilo at 4:57am 30th July 2011 I more ot less stopped watching fox after they canceled Futurama. Dumb commies.
Jared Sirilo at 4:57am 30th July 2011 I more ot less stopped watching fox after they canceled Futurama. Dumb commies.
Gil Cottrell at 7:30pm 28th July 2011 Fox sucks. one sided idiot news service!
Jessica Jones at 2:07pm 27th July 2011 Boo
Jessica Jones at 2:07pm 27th July 2011 Boo
Carl Friend at 1:49pm 27th July 2011 Throw in live games and I'll pay.
Carl Friend at 1:49pm 27th July 2011 Throw in live games and I'll pay.
Dave Moehle at 1:42pm 27th July 2011 I only have one thing to say, me hardees......AAAARRRR ! Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum!
Dave Moehle at 1:42pm 27th July 2011 I only have one thing to say, me hardees......AAAARRRR ! Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum!
Luis Lauranzon at 12:47pm 27th July 2011 Oh no! No I have to wait longer to watch American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance......or all the other ridiculous reality shows that I DON'T WATCH!!!! Fox always cancels the good shows anyway. I don't have cable. But I do have Hulu + & Netflix. That's all I need.
Luis Lauranzon at 12:47pm 27th July 2011 Oh no! No I have to wait longer to watch American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance......or all the other ridiculous reality shows that I DON'T WATCH!!!! Fox always cancels the good shows anyway. I don't have cable. But I do have Hulu + & Netflix. That's all I need.
Ben Goodridge at 12:45pm 27th July 2011 Fox has nothing I want. If they do I just buy it from itunes with no ad's. I don't care if I have to wait for the latest episode. Waiting will help me to avoid the ad's.
Ben Goodridge at 12:45pm 27th July 2011 Fox has nothing I want. If they do I just buy it from itunes with no ad's. I don't care if I have to wait for the latest episode. Waiting will help me to avoid the ad's.
Rudy at 5:34am 27th July 2011 As long as I get to see it next day on Hulu Plus, I'm okay with this.
1. Dan Gaul at 7:13am 27th July 2011 Ya, next day is completely acceptable in my book as well. I often don't have time to watch shows the day they air anyways.
Robert TheException Moreland at 12:31pm 27th July 2011 They don't get it. I spend more time on YouTube and AppleTV than watching TV getting bombarded with commercials. Watching commercials is absurd nowadays.
Ian Bell at 5:30am 27th July 2011 Seems fair enough to me. If you pay, you see it right away, if you want it for free online, you wait. What's wrong with that?