More than two years after the cable industry began promoting the concept of TV Everywhere, offering paying subscribers access to cable networks and shows online and on-demand, Time Warner, Inc. is finally moving to introduce live streaming of its TBS and TNT networks 24 hours a day to authenticated cable, satellite, and telco-TV subscribers.

The move comes just a few days after ABC announced its own Watch ABC service, which will also only be available to customers with a pay television subscription.

The move is designed to increase viewing and advertising opportunities for the Time Warner cable networks. Since online viewers will need credentials supplied by their pay-TV provider to reach the streams, non-paying viewers will be kept away.

A number of providers have their own implementation of TV Everywhere, introducing apps and viewing portals where paying customers can scroll through and watch cable channels without having to visit the website of each network.

Since introducing its version of TV Everywhere more than a year ago, one of the most frustrating aspects of Time Warner Cable’s video streaming service has been it only works within your own home over the cable company’s own broadband service. As of tomorrow morning, that will change. If you own an Apple iOS tablet or smartphone, the cable company’s new version of its TWC TV app (free) will bring streamed and on-demand programming from a handful of cable networks regardless of where you happen to be.

There are several limitations however:

1. Having access to a Wi-Fi network while on the go will be a big help. Streaming access over 3G/4G service will initially be limited to Verizon Wireless customers, perhaps a fringe benefit of the agreement between Verizon and Time Warner Cable to collaborate in cross-marketing services;
2. Only nine cable networks and one Time Warner Cable-owned news channel will be available for live streaming when the service launches. None of them are particularly compelling. Programmers are fearful that streaming access outside of the home may open up cable programming to non-paying customers with access to a shared password;
3. Fox News Channel and Fox Business were reportedly going to be available as of tomorrow, but Time Warner Cable’s official blog post omits the two networks;
4. Android and desktop users will have to wait until summer to get the upgrade, an annoying prospect considering Android users now outnumber Apple iOS users, who have to wait.

The online programming guide is also being revamped to help users find TV channels and online on-demand content more quickly.

The initial out-of-home On Demand library offers over 1,100 hours of programming from the following providers:

BBC America
BET
CBeebies
CMT
Comedy Central
Cooking Channel
DIY
FEARnet
Food Network
Hallmark
HGTV
Logo
MTV
MTV2
Nick Jr.
Nickelodeon
Palladia
Spike
TeenNick
Travel Channel
Tr3S
TV Guide Network
TV Land
UniMas
Univision
VH1
VH1 Classic

Live TV streaming will be available from the following national networks:

Aspire
BBC America
beIN Sports (English/Spanish)
FearNet
GMC
Pac-12
TVGuide Network

Additionally, all Time Warner Cable local news channels will eventually be available out of home, though all local news, traffic and weather channels may not be available immediately. The following news channels will be available at launch:

NY1
NY1 Noticias
News 14 Carolina
YNN (New York and Texas)

Amazon.com today announced it is expanding its lineup of on-demand programming that will bring popular cable shows to Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service ($79/annually).

Starting today, Prime members will be able to stream programming produced by Scripps’ cable networks including the Travel Channel, HGTV, Food Network, Cooking Channel, and DIY.

Some of the shows include: Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day; Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations; Cupcake Wars;Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives; House Hunters and House Hunters International; Iron Chef America; Man v. Food; Selling New York and Selling LA; Throwdown With Bobby Flay; Chopped; Ghost Adventures; andYard Crashers. Older programming will also be available for purchase and download.

Includes access to “Instant Video” at no extra charge.

“We are excited to be the exclusive online-only subscription home for Scripps content and know our customers are going to love getting these great shows as part of Prime,” said Brad Beale, Amazon’s head of video content acquisition.

Amazon has attempted to differentiate its video offerings from its much-larger rival Netflix. In many instances, the more-limited content on Amazon is already available from Netflix, making Amazon Prime Instant Video redundant for current Netflix subscribers. But Amazon has recently signed a handful of exclusive deals, mostly for television programming.

With streaming rights for popular Hollywood movies escalating into high orbit, most of the content deals signed by Netflix and Amazon during 2012 covered less-costly network series and cable shows. While that has discouraged movie fans, who increasingly turn to Redbox or other rental services for recent Hollywood releases, it is giving cable subscribers another reason to cut the cord on cable television.

Do you ever wonder why your local cable system suddenly decided to begin carrying barely known networks like Centric, Logo, Palladia, and a dozen other channels you can’t recall ever watching even as providers perennially complain about “increased programming costs?”

The cable dial has gotten increasingly crowded with secondary cable networks that usually occupy three digit channel numbers somewhere in cable dial Siberia, unlikely to be encountered by anyone other than the most hearty channel surfer.

Welcome to the cable network racket, run by the corporate owners of popular cable networks that allegedly force cable operators to also carry (and pay for) lesser-watched networks as part of a broader carriage deal.

Today, Cablevision filed an antitrust lawsuit against Viacom in Manhattan federal court for illegally forcing the cable company to carry and pay for more than a dozen ancillary cable networks it claims customers don’t want, just so Viacom will sell access to popular cable networks including Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon.

“The manner in which Viacom sells its programming is illegal, anti-consumer, and wrong,” Cablevision indicated in a prepared statement. “Viacom’s abuse of its market power is not only illegal, but also prevents Cablevision from delivering the programming that its customers want and that competes with Viacom’s less popular channels.”

Cablevision argues Viacom is hostile with cable operators who don’t want these add-on channels, coercing carriage agreements by threatening “massive financial penalties” or exclusion of popular channels altogether until operators sign up for the majority of Viacom networks.

Cablevision’s complaint asserts that Viacom is engaged in a “per se” illegal tying arrangement in violation of federal antitrust laws. Cablevision also claims Viacom has engaged in unlawful “block booking,” a form of tying  conditions on the sale of a package of rights to the purchaser’s taking of other rights.

Cablevision is seeking a number of remedies including voiding the carriage agreement Cablevision signed with Viacom just last December, a permanent injunction banning Viacom from making carriage agreements conditional on adding other networks, and financial relief in the form of damages and legal costs related to bringing the suit.

Yes

Viacom-owned networks customers actually want:

• MTV
• MTV2
• Nickelodeon
• VH1
• Spike
• TV Land
• Comedy Central
• BET

What?

Viacom’s 14 extra networks you may have never heard of and may not want to pay for:

• Centric
• CMT
• MTV Hits
• MTV Tr3s
• Nick Jr.
• Nicktoons
• Palladia
• Teen Nick
• VH1 Classic
• VH1 Soul
• Logo
• CMT Pure Country
• Nick 2
• MTV Jams

Viacom issued a statement minutes ago claiming it would “vigorously defend this transparent attempt by Cablevision to use the courts to renegotiate our existing two-month-old agreement.”

Viacom argues it does not force operators to carry any of its networks, but admitted it does offer financial incentives in the form of lower prices when operators agree to also carry its lesser-known networks. Viacom said that it had “long offered discounts to those who agree to provide additional network distribution.”

NBCUniversal is scrapping the decade-0ld G4 network catering to videogames, extreme sports, COPS reruns, and young men in favor of programming targeting a more upscale older male-targeted audience.

The Esquire Network will launch April 22 in partnership with Esquire magazine.

G4 has never attracted a mainstream audience. Its ratings average around 130,000 viewers during primetime, making it one of the lesser-watched basic cable networks.

NBCUniversal is reportedly examining the performance of its second-tier cable networks which include G4, Cloo, Style, Sprout, TV One, and Chiller. Low-rated cable networks are at an increasing risk of being dumped by cable operators looking for cost savings. Most of these lesser-watched networks made it to the cable dial as part of broader agreements to carry NBC local affiliates or more popular cable networks including Bravo and USA.

The Esquire Network will rely heavily on inexpensive original reality shows including Knife Fight — a cooking competition — and travel shows created for the network by personalities from the Travel Channel.

Only American Ninja Warrier will survive the transition from G4 to Esquire Network for certain. Most of the rest of the network lineup will include reruns of shows like Parks & Recreation or off-premium cable shows like Starz’ Party Down.

Cable operators like Time Warner Cable are likely to take a second look at the network on news it will relaunch under new branding and a new format. Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt said in December the company is closely examining low-rated cable networks to control escalating programming costs and the rate increases that result.