CES Notebook – TV Everywhere Isn't Getting Far with Consumers

That was the general consensus among content experts at a Digital Hollywood panel at CES as cable struggles to explain TVE and tout its value. “We need to talk about the consumer experience of TV Everywhere,” said Tamara Franklin, svp, affiliate operations & new media distribution, Scripps Networks Interactive. She said TVE talk has been too “tech heavy” and not focused enough on “speaking about the value proposition here.”

Jeremy Legg, Turner svp, business development and multi-platform distribution, said consumers can’t even figure out where to view TVE content. “Until the industry makes this simple for consumers… the consumer doesn’t necessarily know where to go,” he said. “We now have to take this thing to a different place and look at things that are more consumer centric.”

Rob Sussman, Epix evp, business operations, development and strategy, agreed that authentication needs to be quicker, easier and more uniform across platforms—but he predicted that competition between networks and shows for TVE “shelf space” will become the larger issue going forward. “That’s a lot of the fight that will take place over the next 3 years,” he said