.tv Your Own Feelings about this...

[Vito]

Well,
Its the first day of 2011.
We have been talking about this day for almost a year now.

I open up my Yahoo HomePage and see the ad's for Oprah's New Show. Cool.

I flip thru the channels on TV cuz all that's on right now is the Rose Bowl parade, then I see on my Channel guide that there is a show all about Oprahs OWN called "Oprah's guide to OWN". Cool again.

I watch the whole show, an hour long show and right at the end of the show, they show the next show coming on...It is a show that was just talked about in Oprah's Guide. huh?

So, I look at the tv channel that I have on, and the Tv channel is OWN. There is a channel named OWN on tv???

and
Oprah's OWN TV url is not OWN.TV, but it is Oprah.com.

I'm lost here.

This was suppose to be ONLY an online network correct?

I really didnt think it was an actual TV Network that is only televised on TV.

So I'm a little bummed that OWN.TV is not the main url, but I think I am even more confused than bummed.

What does the website have to do with anything?
Just a promotional tool for her Television channel?

Sorry, Just some of my random thoughts and questions I am throwing out there because I was really really looking forward to this day for things that I guess I truly didnt understand.

Did you guys think the same thing?

Isn't that what we have been sayig all along?

Please Discuss...

 

[donnied79]

I think that we've always seen this question only from a domainer point of view.
But I think that Oprah had to choose between:
1 - A new website for OWN
2 - The OWN section on Oprah.com
She choose the second option and we shouldn't be disappointed.
We should have if she chose to launch another website with another extension but it's not the case.

 

[DU]

OWN is a CABLE Network Channel. Always has been as far as I know.

The brand is OWN (without the TV, without the .TV, without Oprah)

I've said before that I don't think it matters one iota to the .TV extension.

Here's the thing. The current OWN.TV is a redirect. There are TWO ways you can view this.

1) It's a redirect, who cares?

This is the old school. This is when you have TM protection and everything is canoconical and everything resolves to ONE location.

2) It's a specific redirect.

This is different. When someone takes a domain, whatever it is - in this case OWN.TV - and redirects it to a specific portion of a website it does have meaning.

Similar to .co - some are just redirects. Some companies have made it their international portal which is a very clever and simple brand protection/usage move.

You could type in oprah.com/own
You could type in oprah and then click own
You could type in Own.TV

Now as time moves on - I think you'll see OWN move away from Oprah because it HAS to. You can't run a network on one celebrity. Own may very well fail because it's NOT Oprah..

Own.TV is there (under privacy?) and redirects to a specific part of Oprah.

I would expect Own.TV to be used at some point as part of an ad campaign or to track specific types of users - or specific type of content. As TVs become interactive.. the name OWN will be used because it's short, has the logo and works... (they might use own.tv unless they buy own.com - perhaps owntv.com) or simply continue with what they have.. a meaningful redirect. Users/Clients will make the decision for them.

It also is a separate entry point and marketing of channels LOVE metrics so they will surely be putting together usage metrics and seeing how things work as they converge their TV, Online, and Print business.

Does it affect Softball.TV? Not one bit.

".TV is a special extension with special end users" - TwoMoon said that.

 

[Vito]

OK,

Let me start over here.

With as many conversations we have had here in the past 6 mnths about whether the main url be OWN.TV or Oprah.com, I am definitely not incredibly surprised about the redirect.

Of course I was hopeful but really, I am not surprised. I guess it is possible for things to change one day. Who knows?

The network though...
It was suppose to be ONLY an online network, and not a television network...
I thought THAT was what made this so revolutionary here???

The first Major Online ONLY Network.
I guess I had that wrong.

 

[equity78]

Always supposed to be a cable network. She was leaving ABC for her own cable network.

Excellent post DF.

 

[Vito]

Always supposed to be a cable network. She was leaving ABC for her own cable network.

Excellent post DF.

I do realize she was leaving ABC this, the 25th year of her show.

I am sure I read that her new show was Online only though and I truly believed that was the incredible News here.

I canNOT be the only one here who thought that. lol

 

[eyedomainous]

OK,The network though... It was suppose to be ONLY an online network, and not a television network...
I thought THAT was what made this so revolutionary here???

The first Major Online ONLY Network.
I guess I had that wrong.

I never saw it that way. I've always looked at OWN TV as her umbrella network... that consolidates her existing properties as it also expands to cover the new TV frontier.

The 'web focus' language was, IMO, saying that the web will allow the Oprah Winfrey Network to stand on its own no matter what happens, in the distant future, with the networks.

But she'd be a fool not to position OWN as a player in the broadcast arena for as long as she can.

She also appreciates the value of being a big fish in a small pond. I found this out first hand years ago, in the 80's, when she began building her network by buying-up stations.

I tried to sell her Channel 13, broadcasting from downtown Chicago. She said "No, I have the big cities covered by the network. I bought two stations in small-to-medium markets... and made them affiliates" (for the networks).

So OWN.TV is... an affiliate in her current network... and The Network for her future affiliates. IMO.