'Broadband TV' Experiment in SD

Courtesy of Paid Content, we've discovered TimeWarner Cable's "Broadband TV" experiment in San Diego, CA:

Q. What is Time Warner Cable Broadband TV?
A. Broadband TV gives you the flexibility and convenience of watching TV on your PC. Access your favorite live channels on your PC while your kids are watching TV in the living room.

Just add this to the list of interesting and fast-moving developments in the online-video arena (News Corp, CBS, BBC, MTV, etc.). The TWC programming is NOT online (it's a device-shifting tool), but the experiment reflects the speed with which video/TV is moving online.

According to the Online Publishers Association/comScore, the Internet is the "first choice" medium (TV is number two) among U.S. 18-24 year olds. In addition, the data (9/04) also show that the Internet is the preferred medium for "information and fun."

As we've said before, if TV moves online it will change the nature of the medium (not just the delivery device) and change the opportunity presented to advertisers. The fragmentation of the Internet (insert "Long Tail" discussion here) will mean that the primary (though not exclusive) marketing proposition will be targeting rather than reach.