AOL launched their In2TV service today, featuring an eclectic mix of 30 Warner Bros. TV shows from the past half-century. Some good, some bad, some on DVD, some not — and all available for high-quality streaming in their entirety with “minimal commercial interruption.” 1 to 2 minutes, for now. Though if it’s successful, that will no doubt sneak up a bit: the whole point, of course, is another revenue stream.
We haven’t yet had a chance for a test-drive of the service through the Medialoper Review Labs — the pilot ep of Welcome Back Kotter, prior to Travolta becoming a superstar, will be just the ticket — but here are a couple of random initial impressions:
- The home page is clean and well-organized: less clutter than iTunes, and easier to find stuff than Google video or YouTube.
- Don’t come here looking for full seasons. Looks like they’ve launched with about 10 eps of each show.
- They’ve also launched with features and interactive games.
- There is more than one way to find an individual show: they’ve categorized them, have a search feature, broken out clips; and have a “show all feature” that actually lists more than a few at a time.
- One of the best ideas: “Pilot Theatre,” which is exactly what you would think.
All in all, a nice auspicious start for IN2TV: one can only hope that they add more shows, and more episodes for each show.