TV.com Launches iPhone App

Written by Steve Donohue

Thursday, February 26. 2009 at 02:20 PM EST 1 comment

Digg   Del.icio.us   Reddit   Email This

no ratings

• Login to Rate

Giving it an edge over Hulu LLC and some other Web video rivals, CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS)'s TV.com launched an application that allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to view its programming on their mobile video devices.

TV.com isn't the first Web video site to support mobile devices -- Joost developed an application for the iPod Touch and iPhone in November. About 1.4 million people have downloaded the Joost application, which allows them to watch CSI, Beverly Hills 90210, and other shows from the libraries of The WB, CBS, Sony Pictures Television, and other content suppliers, Joost spokesperson Kerry Vance said today.

But some of the most popular Internet video content still isn't available on the iPhone, T-Mobile (UK) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG)'s G1 phone, and other mobile video devices, including top prime-time series from Fox Broadcasting Co. and NBC Universal that are on Hulu.com.

The problem is that Hulu and several other top Web video sites use Adobe Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBE)'s Flash Player, which isn't compatible with the iPhone, iPod, G1, and many other mobile devices.

MySpace has also developed a MySpace Mobile application that allows users on the social networking site to watch mostly short user-generated video clips. The company uses RipCode Inc. 's transcoding technology for mobile video delivery.

Hulu executives have said previously that the company would like to see its content delivered to more devices, but it hasn't yet developed an application for mobile video players. Reps at Hulu couldn't be reached for comment about TV.com's application for the iPod and iPhone, or their own mobile plans.

EchoStar Corp. (Nasdaq: SATS)'s Sling Media Inc. is also developing an application the iPhone and iPod. Sling's iPhone application allows consumers that own one of Sling Media's Slingbox devices to access programming from their home cable TV or satellite lineup, but it doesn't allow Web surfers to view any of the video content from Sling.com on mobile devices.

"We are submitting the application to Apple for certification by the end of March. We are making great progress and we expect it to be available on the iTunes store shortly after we submit," said spokesman Brian Jaquet.

Sling also supports Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Blackberry, Symbian S60, and UIQ platforms, and the company is interested in Google's Android platform for the G1, Jaquet added.