Comcast today unveiled Watchable, the latest ISP effort to try and cash in on Internet video. According to a Comcast blog post, Watchable will include content from 30 digital partners including recent Comcast-investment properties Buzzfeed and Vox (The Verge). Said content will be made available to existing Comcast customers for free, with ads, via the company's X1 cable set top box, tablets, and other mobile devices.
It's one of several ways that companies like Comcast are trying to stay relevant as a growing number of people cut the cord and spend the lion's share of their video viewing time on tablets and smartphones.
"We think Watchable can be a unique place that curates and distributes the best content from some of the most recognized brands and producers on the web," Comcast proclaims.
Why not just visit these individual websites or apps to glean this content? "Many of our Watchable partners have not traditionally had distribution on the TV and we can give them a path to reach new audiences and further monetize their content on the biggest screen in the home," states Comcast, whose goal is of course to try and mimic Facebook and Google level ad revenues.
Generally, clunky UIs, sparse catalogs and strange restrictions mar these kinds of efforts from seeing broad customer adoption. Comcast's attempted Netflix killer, Streampix, for example, was shelved after users found the limited catalog and cumbersome interface uncompelling. The fact that "me too" efforts by network operators never come close to reaching their planned potential never seems to stifle ISP ambition.
Source: http://www.dslreports.com/