• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, June 16, 2009

How much of TV programming can go online? Cable TV networks have been especially reluctant to put much content online because of the carriage fees already paying to content providers and the fear of cannibalizing their own subscribers. See Viacom lawusuit against Google over YouTube clips.

MTV's Clayman says that as content has gone onlne has become a mish mosh, with no clear bright lines for what's stays on TV only and what gets pushed to the Web. "you want to have some content online but you don't want to put the entire channel online b/c people are paying for it," he said. The balance is different from network to network and show to show.The Daily Show is content that ages out, acts like a news show, you don't necessarily watch the Daily Show six weeks from now so put online b/c no ancillary market.

Comcast has Fancast, Dish has Sling. Some will be free and some authenticated. Challenge is rolling it out and figuring out operator to operator what are the strategy will be, according to Clayman.

As part of its response, ESPN has created "original digitals," unique content for digital space, which can also act as incubator for shows that might work on air as well as online.