Is "Parenthood" on demand?

[Sunny3301]

Just switched from Comcast to FiOS yesterday and tried to find "Parenthood" on demand. It wasn't there and I'm wondering if I'm looking in the wrong place or does FiOS just not have it. All the seasons were available for playback on Comcast and I'm shocked that FiOS would be that backward. I found all the seasons for playback on the Verizon Media Manager app, but I want to watch it on my TV, not my iPad. Am I looking in the right place?

Thanks

[walt178]

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@wintersky630 wrote:

Just switched from Comcast to FiOS yesterday and tried to find "Parenthood" on demand. It wasn't there and I'm wondering if I'm looking in the wrong place or does FiOS just not have it. All the seasons were available for playback on Comcast and I'm shocked that FiOS would be that backward. I found all the seasons for playback on the Verizon Media Manager app, but I want to watch it on my TV, not my iPad. Am I looking in the right place?

Thanks

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It's not there.  I rarely use on demand, but from some of the posts I've seen that is a shortcoming with FiOS.   I suspect they prefer to push Flex View and Redbox.

[lacticacidtrip]

At first I thought it strange that Verizon's On Demand would offer no free episodes of a show that Comcast offers all seasons of for free. Then I remembered one small fact: Comcast owns NBCUniversal and Parenthood is an NBC show. That might have something to do with it.

[Sunny3301]

This very well may have something to do with it. Sad that company politics have to get in the way of viewer's enjoyment. There are some NBC shows on demand, but nothing I watch. There are no sitcoms like Parks and Rec and Community and no way to catch up on the final season of 30 Rock or the Office. I just spent a little time going through FiOS's on demand menu and was confronted by a truly dismal selection: HBO doesn't have old shows like Curb or Entourage or current ones like Veep and Girls. The Sopranos is there but probably just appeared after James G's passing. SHO isn't too bad - there are all the past seasons of Dexter. CBS and ABC only have some shows - no How I Met Your Mother, no Modern Family or Grey's Anatomy. No Cougar Town on TBS. I'm sure I'll find more, I only got FiOS two days ago. 

So far the only benefit I can see to giving up Comcast for FiOS is the wonderfully clear picture FiOS has. Wow! Other than that, I'm kind of regretting my move now. I really don't understand why Verizon is so backward when it comes to on demand content. I guess I'll have to invest in a Roku and get Hulu Plus. I should bill Verizon for it.

[armond_in_nj1]

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@wintersky630 wrote:

... Sad that company politics have to get in the way of viewer's enjoyment. There are some NBC shows on demand, but nothing I watch. There are no sitcoms like Parks and Rec and Community and no way to catch up on the final season of 30 Rock or the Office. I just spent a little time going through FiOS's on demand menu and was confronted by a truly dismal selection ...

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If by "politics" you mean "dollars and cents" then I agree.  None of the big ISPs or cable companies will let a point of view get in the way of another dollar of profit.  Never did and never will.

I recently tried to research the methods different providers use to choose VOD content, and frankly there's little hard data available to the general public.  Because Comcast is the largest provider, it's not surprising that they feature the largest selection of content.

As far as the NBC connection is concerned, remember that divisions within large organizations have always had to pay other divisions for services.  If memory serves, battles over how these dollars are allocated get very heated.  No division manager wants to give anything away that will later affect review and compensation.

Here's an interesting review of this aspect of the entertainment industry.  You will have to make up your own mind about whom to believe.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/business/media/video-on-demand-viewing-is-gaining-popularity.html?...

[lacticacidtrip]

For past shows from premium channels, you can use their online streaming sites. Just choose to sign in using your Verizon credentials. But of course that is streaming to your PC/Apple, and you mentioned that you weren't interested in that. Maybe stream through a laptop's HDMI out to an input on your TV or receiver. Anyways, it's up to you. Just thought I'd let you know about the online premium sites.

HBOGO.com

ShowtimeAnytime.com

[Sunny3301]

Thanks Armond. Very interesting link.

[Sunny3301]

Thanks for the links, Lactic. I'll look for the HBO and SHO apps in the App Store. I didn't need them before because Comcast had all the premium network shows available for playback on their mobile app. I watch a lot of my TV on my iPad but I'm **bleep** off about FiOS's lack of Parenthood on the TV because I watched it while walking on my treadmill. It was the perfect length for a 45 minute work-out and it's the perfect show to take your mind off what you're doing. It barely felt like I was working out! I know there are other shows to watch when I'm on the treadmill and I'm sure I'll find them but it just irks me that FiOS is so inferior to what I've been used to with Comcast.

[walt178]

Interesting article from armond_in_nj

Comcast recently raised the cable bill on 72% of their subscribers.  The rationale:  the increased VOD will make the increased bills tolerable.   Something to think about when wishing Verizon would increase their VOD offerings.

[armond_in_nj1]

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@walt178 wrote:

... Comcast recently raised the cable bill on 72% of their subscribers.  The rationale:  the increased VOD will make the increased bills tolerable.   Something to think about when wishing Verizon would increase their VOD offerings.

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This points in the direction of "six of one, half a dozen of the other."  The reality is that only a few of the "big boys" can compete in cable and ISP businesses when it comes to capital expenditure, legislative restrictions, and infrastructure issues, etc.  Not exactly monopoly, but an oligopoly instead of competition.  This pattern results from a rather warm relationship between the regulators and the regulated.  Nothing new here.

The other side of the coin is that we civilians are able to get services at a price that is within reason, although higher than what we'd pay in a competitive situation.  Utilities have always behaved like that, and they always will.

These days, it's seems to be getting worse.  The technology-industrial-governmental complex has become so pervasive that we're not likely to see improvement in our lifetimes.  We do indeed get pretty good service at pretty good prices most of the time.  Not perfect, but ...