Roku goes Global…

Okay, that's a bit of an overstatement, but I received a press release from the Roku folks this week announcing a new app that points clearly to a future in which the Internet is humanity's television broadcast medium of choice, something I've been predicting for a couple of decades now (and don't I feel smug!). It's because Canada's Global TV, owned by the folks behind Shaw Cable, have released an app that lets you watch their current offering via the Roku, so you no longer need cable, satellite or whatever – just Internet.

Global says it's the first Canadian broadcaster to jump online like this (though others have their own apps for smart devices etc.), making their offerings available to Roku streaming sticks and boxes as well as Roku-enabled televisions such as those from RCA, Hisense, Sharp, Sanyo and TCL. I tried it on one of my Rokus and it works pretty much like other such apps, except you get to choose from Global's current and recent offerings, for better and/or for worse. I couldn't find even one show I really wanted to see, though that's more because I'm mostly immune to network TV than it is related to Global's particular inventory. So, if you're into such stuff as New Amsterdam, 9-1-1, Saturday Night Live, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Survivor, Big Brother Canada, and more, this could be right up your alley. Alas, it appears that you still have to subscribe to a TV provider – like cable or satellite – to watch the programming "live" as it is broadcast, which kind of defeats the purpose as well as screwing those who get their TV off the air, because you're asked to enter your provider info before you can access the stuff. Dumb.

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Also dumb is the fact that, while you can pause a program and restart it later on a Roku, when I tried firing up an NCIS episode on a different Roku it sent me right back to the beginning. This is something Netflix and YouTube do well, so maybe Globall'll get it together, too. Still, it's a step in the right direction and I suppose I can understand why a major cable/satellite company would want to keep its influence (and pay for its infrastructure), though if it's really about "bring(ing) our premium programming to Roku's extensive and highly-engaged user base," (according to Drew Robinson, Vice President, Content Distribution, Corus Entertainment) then you'd think they'd bring it all – especially since users undoubtedly still have to sit through commercials, thereby providing the sponsors with yet another opportunity to snag viewers' eyes beyond what they have already. Heck, if it were me, I'd just stream the telecast itself, commercials included. Much as I hate commercials, they're a legitimate compromise that lets consumers get content free. On the other hand, today's networks are so damn greedy they're now putting commercials right over the programming, which I think is unconscionable and is another reason I avoid network TV. It also could be a factor (I  have no evidence, just intelligence – well, maybe – and experience) in why broadcast networks are losing viewers. How about giving some real value to customers rather than just treating them like eyes to be abused and wallets to be drained? It isn't as if you guys aren't profitable – and if you aren't profitable, maybe your problem is that you're chasing away too many viewers by treating them like crap. Or does that make too much sense?