CBS is seemingly attempting to make some online moves in response to the continuing migration of people to the Internet. In addition to their recent announcement that they will offer primetime shows online 24 hours after they are broadcast, they are now also going to offer “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric” as an online simulcast.
CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus said: “It’s another giant step towards providing CBS News content to people wherever they are – in their homes, in their offices, in their cars, on their computers or on their cell phones.”
The problem is that they're still thinking like a TV network in this offering, rather than an online one. For example they are requiring registration and the newscast will be seen only when it's showing in the time zone of the user. In other words they are thinking of their affiliates first and not their customers.
While this may seem like a big move for CBS, it's really more like dipping your feet in the water before you go swimming. They really aren't offering anything other than what they are doing on TV. After all, who is going to sit at home and think that they are so glad that they can now watch the news on the Internet while at home? If it's being offered with the types of limits that current TV has (time slots), what's the purpose? It just doesn't take advantage of the strength and power that the Internet offers.
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