Building on the momentum from its relaunch of TV.com last month, CBS Interactive has rolled out a TV.com iPhone app, and opened up some of the site's video clips to international viewers. The developments give TV.com two distinct advantages over rival Hulu?as Hulu currently has no dedicated mobile offering, and its content is accessible in the U.S. only.
It could add more stress to the already strained relationship between the two: last week, the companies traded barbs over Hulu's decision to pull all of its content from TV.com because of a clash over online programming and distribution rights (in-depth details on that soap opera here).
?Get your TV.com on the go: The free app lets users watch clips of everything from CSI, to The L Word, to vintage Star Trek; it also takes advantage of the iPhone's motion-sensor, as users can shake the phone to get a random clip to show up. ciPhone owners have always had access to all kinds of video, both from YouTube and third-party apps like Joost (which already offered some CBS content), but the TV.com app greatly increases the volume of full-length, premium content available. If it catches on, the pressure will be on networks like Fox, ABC, and, of course, NBC, to launch their own dedicated mobile-video offerings. And, as the NYT notes, the TV networks won't be the only players under pressure: once iPhone users start streaming long-form video en masse, it will increase the strain on AT&T's data network?which could mean higher data subscription plan costs.
?Short-form content outside the U.S. for now: Currently, international viewers can only access snippets of CBS (NYSE: CBS) News programming, and older shows like Beverly Hills 90210 and MacGuyver; Anthony Soohoo, SVP of CBSI's entertainment and lifestyle division, told Contentinople that the company was working on securing the international rights for more long-form content.
