Veoh/TNT Online TV Deal
One of our partners here in the consortium, Turner Broadcasting, has entered into a new partnership with an Internet television platform, coming on the heels of NBC's deal with YouTube and MTVN's additions to iTunes.
Yesterday, Internet television provider Veoh Networks announced that it will be working with the TNT network to promote a new television show called Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King. The site will give online viewers the chance to view behind-the-scenes content and other promotional material regarding the new Nightmares and Dreamscapes program, which debuts tonight. In addition, Veoh will be making full-length movies available on their site beginning today as well, all from TNT's film library.
This is yet another example of how new media is presenting opportunities for networks to extend their reach. At this point, TNT seems like it has a good deal in place, with Veoh providing a powerful online tool to drive people to watch TNT and to provide regular viewers of TNT with additional content for the Stephen King show. In return, TNT gives Veoh an influx of films from the TNT library to greatly expand the content available to the burgeoning online network.
With so many of these small alliances being made, it's clear that the networks are at least dipping their toes in the water, if not yet becoming immersed in convergence culture. There are too many of these deals at this point to keep them all straight, and many of them will likely fall apart or disappear, but the general consensus seems to be that these partnerships lead to an exploration of the future of entertainment and television. As always, it's important to remember that convergence doesn't mean the shift to new media platforms but rather the intersection between traditional media forms and new platform opportunities, which Veoh's deal with Turner is a perfect example of.