It’s finally here: Live broadcast streaming

This fall, you can watch Fox shows such as ‘Scream Queens’ via a live streaming app.

Analysts have long predicted the future of television would be watching live TV on devices other than television.

People who are out and about will use their phones or tablets to watch the latest episode of their favorite show when it actually airs, instead of having to wait until later, when it’s posted online or played back via DVR.

That future is now on Fox.

The network has become the first broadcast network to live stream its entire primetime lineup across all markets, a major milestone for broadcast that will no doubt quickly become de riguer.

A beta version of live streaming bowed last night, with the new service launching on Fox.com and Fox Now, a new app available across a slew of platforms including Android, iOS, Kindle Fire, Apple TV and Google Chromecast.

Fox will live broadcast in all 210 of its local markets, potentially reaching 96 million homes. The simulcast will include entertainment programming every night of the week in primetime, as well as the Saturday late-night entertainment lineup.

Sports programming will continue to be available on Fox Sports Go, including tonight’s MLB All-Star Game, since digital rights are negotiated separately for sports.

Access to the service will be free for those who verify their pay TV accounts. So, say you get cable through Comcast—you’ll need to verify your Comcast ID before streaming. That’s Fox’s way of cutting the service off from cord-cutters.

Local stations will be able to dynamically insert local advertising and branding messages, though the feed will not be exactly the same as the local affiliate’s.

Offering primetime live streaming is a huge step for a medium that has adopted online elements fitfully and at times reluctantly, fearful of cannibalizing its offline audience.

The more opportunities there are to watch broadcast programming online, the logic has been, the less reason people have to tune in to the actual TV shows. And the fewer people watching the TV shows, the less the networks can charge for advertising.

However, it’s become clear that people want streaming, and denying them what they want will just send them to other online destinations, such as Netflix or Amazon or the cable networks that offer live streaming, such as HBO Now.

And so broadcast is slowly offering more ways to watch online.

It only makes sense that Fox would be first

CBS, for instance, launched a digital subscription service two years ago, CBS All Access, that offers primetime programming live for a handful of affiliates. However, it’s a pay service and doesn’t broadcast live in all markets.

With Fox becoming the first to launch this service, others will be forced to follow, answering viewer demand. Fox did not say whether these viewers will be counted by Nielsen, but that’s going to be a big issue down the road as well.

It’s certainly not surprising that Fox would lead the streaming charge for the networks. Its young-skewing audience is already going to other platforms to consume its shows, which see strong DVR and online playback.

Late last year, the network quit issuing overnight ratings reports, claiming they didn’t reflect accurate audiences for its shows, though media buyers also noted the network’s entertainment programming had suffered live ratings declines and wasn’t looking so hot in the overnight reports.

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