Cable Eyes LOD: Local On Demand

In a feature yesterday, The Wall Street Journal highlighted efforts by MSOs to build on-demand TV services based on local community and user-created content. The article notes that 'Comcast offers locally produced fare on demand in more than a dozen of its systems.' For its part, Time Warner Cable has pioneered a local service in the Midwest dubbed Wisconsin on Demand, and 'the service has been so successful that 19 other Time Warner divisions are moving forward with similar efforts.' So what is included in the local fare? Everything from on-demand video dating services to high-school sports, local talent contests and church sermons. MSOs frequently argue that their 'local market presence' is a key differentiation from national satellite TV services. Now they're putting that theory to the test. The WSJ article is available for subscribers at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113461524564723115.html