Audio Video News

It's the ultimate chicken-or-egg television question: Which will come first, Internet over TV or TV over the Internet? Last week, Broadwing gave a nod to the latter when it announced that its subsidiary ZoomTown.com has unveiled Intertainer, which the company describes as "a new video-on-demand service" for customers with high-speed, high-bandwidth ADSL online connections. Broadwing says that ZoomTown customers will be among the first in the nation able to receive the service in early 2000. Subscribers will pay the normal monthly fee for DSL service, and will then be charged for their video selections on a pay-per-view basis.

In a press release, the company states that "the broadband entertainment-on-demand service will allow customers to instantly access a wide variety of video entertainment, including television programs and Hollywood films, within seconds with the click of a mouse." Broadwing claims that ZoomTown's Intertainer subscribers will be able to select music programming as well. Customers will view their choices in "full-screen, high-quality resolution with complete VCR functionality," allowing them to stop, rewind, and fast-forward selections.

Jonathan Taplin, president and co-CEO of Intertainer, says "We're excited about being the first company to bring full-screen, A-list entertainment on demand directly to consumers' PCs. Broadwing's ZoomTown customers will soon discover the freedom and joy of having a world of entertainment options at their fingertips that can be delivered to their PCs within seconds."