Not to be outdone by its cable competitors, AT&T has launched a public beta for its online video portal, which pulls content from Hulu and network TV sites.
Unlike the "TV Everywhere" initiative being put together by Time Warner Cable and Comcast, AT&T Entertainment is free and open to anyone, regardless of whether they subscribe to AT&T's U-Verse television service. However, U-Verse subscribers are promised "bonus content" for logging in to the site. AT&T has previously said that it's working on an authentication method for subscribers to access online content.
"This site is another step forward for our three-screen strategy to provide more content to more customers across any device," AT&T told Multichannel News in a statement.
So far, I like AT&T's plan better than that of Time Warner Cable and Comcast because it doesn't shut out non-subscribers. The site has the same content you can find elsewhere online, but it ties everything together in a central location, even for people who don't have U-Verse. AT&T is basically showing that it's not afraid of free online video messing with its base of cable subscribers.
The value that cable brings is its wide selection of channels that you simply can't get through sites like Hulu. By offering a free service, AT&T can bring in non-subscribers. Then, it can show them what kinds of extra content lies beyond the paywall. Time Warner Cable and Comcast, on the other hand, believe that if they simply start offering an online service for cable subscribers only, people will suddenly line up to pay for it.
In both cases, I think these companies' greatest asset is the television, but at least AT&T is showing a better strategy for luring people back.
