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I realize this is a bit off topic for us, but I was bemused to learn Cablevision, the cable operator in suburban New York (and elsewhere), has launched iO TV Quick View, three new channels that display nine different kids, sports and news networks all on one screen.
Who is this for? I suppose the carpel tunnel-suffering channel surfer that has worn his finger out moving up and down the cable dial looking for something to watch and never making it all the way to the end of the lineup.
Cablevision says these three channels will let viewers highlight each window showing a network and, with one button press, jump to the channel they want to see.
No doubt these three channels will be part of the pointless bragging rights cable companies play over the number of channels they offer customers, as if most are still concerned with counting them.
The 500 channel universe already threatens to become littered with networks like Cat Fur Entertainment, Dorm Room Cooking Channel, Log Rolling 24/7, Uncle Fred’s Aquarium TV, and the Uighur News Network, before someone came up with this.
Channel 670 (like you’ll find that): Kids Quick View channel features box views of Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Boomerang, Discovery Kids, Disney XD, Nicktoons, Nick Jr. and Kids Thirteen.
Channel 671: News Quick View channel features News 12, News 12 Traffic & Weather, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, Fox News Channel, CNN Headline News, Bloomberg TV and BBC World News.
Channel 672: Sports Quick View, featuring MSG, MSG+, YES Network, ESPN, ESPN2, Speed Channel, Golf Channel, SportsNet NY and Versus.
Versus TV
I can already guess there will be some clashing between Cartoon Network’s more-adult oriented cartoons and Nick, Jr., among others. Putting channels with Glenn Beck, Nancy Grace, and Ed Schultz all on one channel will blow a hole in the fabric of space on 671, and few will pay attention to actual sports on 672 when the scantily clad ladies on Versus turn up… regularly.
“Our focus in the development of iO TV Quick View has been on discoverability and helping our customers find the perfect program to watch,” Cablevision’s SVP of strategic product development, Patrick Donoghue, said in a prepared statement.
“With so many channels to choose from, this new enhancement allows us to present current options in a number of popular programming categories, literally at a glance. And the end result is a visually beautiful presentation with easy navigation both within the mosaic and to the specific channels being spotlighted.”
Yeah, you’re going to pay for it.
This reminds me of the DISH Intereactive Home screen (Channel 100) which has had a system like this for a while. It only shows News channels (or for that matter, clusters of certain channels I subscribe to depending on what time of year it is, like during the Super Bowl that guide will have sports on and all, and during the Winter months, the Cartoon channels, ABC/ABC Family and a news station) but this has been done on Satellite beforehand. Nothing like this though.
DirecTv has these “cluster” channels. One each for sports, news and cartoons. At least as of May, 2009. That’s when I canceled service. After the initial thirty second wow factor wore off, never cared to dial them up again.
AT&T U-Verse has just rolled this out in Austin too. A sports multi-view, and news multi-view. I was sent an email survey about the service, and I told them that it was absolutely pointless and a waste of channel space. I already have “multi-view”. It’s call the channel guide. U-Verse has pic-in-pic on it’s guide anyway.