Twitter--the Remote

It's not enough anymore to just use a normal remote to change the channel--and forget actually getting up to manually change it--but now we're to the point that all we need is our smart phones. There are already apps that allow you to record a show from anywhere, no matter what you're doing; but now Comcast is taking that one step farther.
In a recent article from the NY Times, it tells that Comcast is teaming up with Twitter and a feature called See It to make television more interactive with your social media. Comcast is the nation’s largest cable television provider and in November, will be working with Twitter--one of the world's most popular social media sites to bring live TV to your Twitter feed. Whenever an NBC show tweets about their show, an option button will show at the end of the post, giving Comcast users the option to watch live or record their favorite shows for a later time. It's an easy process, too. In order to watch or record, a Comcast user needs to just sign in with their cable user name and password like they normally would when watching something on-demand. 

The Voice, popular and often trending on Twitter, will be one show to look out for. If someone doesn't have a Comcast account, though, they will be directed to NBC's website or app to watch instead. NBC, the NBC Sports Network, USA, and E! are all networks that will be participating in the See It feature starting in November. All networks participate in the Amplify advertising program from Twitter, which add short ad clips to videos on social network sites. ESPN, Fox and CBS are part of the Amplify program, as well. 

Comcast chief executive, Brian L. Roberts calls the See It feature, “simple yet powerful feature that creates an instant online remote control.” Maybe that way a person wouldn't have a problem with losing their remotes or having to fight for control. 

Chief business development officer Samuel Schwartz says, “Our expectation is that we’re going to have other multichannel distributors and other programmers as part of this platform pretty quickly.” One has to think, though, if Twitter is part of this agreement, what will come from Facebook? “Ultimately," stated, "it could be on every part of the Web and every app.” It's not sure if or when other social media sites will be included, but for right now, Twitter gets to put it's name out to the world as being a friend to the networks and getting it's users more conversation-ready.