Video On Demand

[MikeJN]

Why isn't 'Person of Interest' being saved to ON DEMAND? I'm guessing it is a CBS policy?

Their choice, but if they want it to be seen by me, and others like me, they should re-evaluate that policy.

[ComcastJoe]

MikeJN,

I moved this thread to Video On Demand from Online Help but I can still answer your question.

Our content team is constantly working to bring you a wider selection of TV Shows and movies. We add new content daily, but due to licensing agreements, we may not have every movie/show/episode available for viewing online or On Demand. If CBS gives it to us, we will make it available.

I will pass your request of adding Person of Interest along to our content team.

Thanks,
Joe
XfinityTV.com/Xfinity.com Support
Twitter: @XfinityTVJoe

[vankent45]

The canned response submitted to a previous post is not what I had hope to read.

I have to wonder how many other network shows are not available because of contractual situations.

I am more than a little unhappy that one has to resort to a forum such as this to find out that Person of Interest or any other network series is unavailable.

It would be far better and more transparent to tell customers they need to take their unhappiness to the next level.

Kent Flanagan

[one2knowatl]

I just looked for the show as well, and it's not there Watching on my computer is not an option because I work on my computer.

[Byrdieep]

My interest as well.

[andersoncpu]

Let CBS know that I am not watching the show and they are loosing a potential audience because I can not get the back episodes.

[GabrielleB]

I'm also frustrted that Person of Interest is not on-demand. CBS ordered a full season in October. Why isn't it available? Why would it be a CBS policy not to allow it on-demand? It's on the fence for renewal; on-demand viewers might lead to better numbers.

[Barmar]

---

GabrielleB wrote:

It's on the fence for renewal; on-demand viewers might lead to better numbers.

---

But if the network mostly cares about the ratings from regular viewers, not VOD, it could lead to lower ratings and cancellation.

VOD and online distribution are double-edged swords. I don't think the networks can charge as much for ad time on these media as they do for regular broadcasts.

[ndisesa]

CBS has a lot of shows available On Demand.

[Barmar]

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ndisesa wrote:

CBS has a lot of shows available On Demand.

---

But not all. Last week, local coverage of the NH primary preempted Unforgettable, and it's not available on demand. I ended up watching it on the CBS web site.

[nomad90]

I too would like to have Persons of Interest on demand!!  Any way we can make this happen.. By the posts there seem to be a lot of like minded people out there...

[Seamonkey27]

I've been upset over Person of Interest not being offered through On Demand. I can't watch it at the scheduled time and would rather watch it in bed with On Demand instead of DVR which is in family room. Shouldn't CBS want as many shows as possible to be available On Demand so that they can track the popularity of the show and still have revenue from the commercials that play? Just as FOX does by not allowing the fast forward feature. I've started watching 4 shows strictly from watching them on the On Demand feature, shows I wouldn't have given a try otherwise. Someone needs to wake-up!!

[Seamonkey27]

Another thought: If a person has this show recommended to them or picks it up late for whatever reason they will be more likely to start watching it if they have the opportunity to catch up by watch it On-Demand. If CBS is worried about people not buying the Season 1 disk once available I find that rubbish. Doctor Who played all of Season 6 up to the day the Series 6 DVD was released. Did I buy it? Absolutely! I was also able to catch my sister and mom up on the storyline so they became fans as well and asked that I let them know when Christmas Special is available to buy. On-Demand is an excellent tool for getting new viewers to give a show a try because they can catch up, then continue on with the regularly scheduled shows. The more companies keep their entertainment from us, the less DVD's will be sold. No one likes trying to catch-up on a show and will rarely give it a try. Fans of a truly good series will buy the season's DVD because On-Demand isn't forever. Still say the same as last time- someone at CBS wake-up to the missed opportunities of selling seasonal DVD's!

[notfair]

I'm disappointed to find that PoI is not ondemand. I missed part of Thursday's show and was hoping to re-watch it.

[fryno]

I came home from work this evening excited to watch Person of Interest on On-Demand with my family because I missed it last Thursday.  I was very disappointed to find that it's not available. I'm positive there are other fans out there that feel the same way. 

[kkrenek99]

I find the CBS has the least amount of shows on demand.  I wish they would put Unforgettable out there, but I've never seen it.  I love to re-watch that show and when I have to miss it, I use the old reliable VCR. I also enjoy The Amazing Race, but find that I miss it too much when it runs late due to football.  So since it's not on demand, I can never catch up with it and stopped watching last year. I don't think networks understand that putting a show on demand is actually a good thing and may bring more viewers when the show normally airs.  

[daemondog]

"Person of Interest" is no longer avail on CBS.com.  With more & more people streaming why would CBS discontinue it.  Comcast should do everything in their power to pressure the networks to open up programming content.

[Larry19]

I too have been very upset that CBS shows "Person of Interest" and "Unforgettable" are not available On Demand,  I just got done talking to a Comcast representative who told me that some shows are only offered to higher-tier customers.  If there is a Comcast rep on here, is that true?  Am I not seeing Person of Interest and Unforgettable because I don't have an expensive enough package?  With all due respect, that is totally ridiculous. Those are network shows, and they should be available on demand no matter what package I have.

This is especially frustrating because it is nearly impossible to find these shows available anywhere on the Internet, even a week or two after they aired.  I just don't get it, but I've decided I'm going to find out what's going on or die trying... 

[mi99]

and now CBS has a new show - "NYC 22" - and it is not available On Demand.  It seems that EVERY hot new CBS show is NOT available!

Someone from Comcast - please reply with some real information and not just a canned response!

[jfakerly]

clearly comcast does not  care about customers as they have not provided a meaningful response

i recall seeing person of interest in on demand awhile back and now its not there

is it because Comcast is not willing to pay CBS? ie. some cbs shows cost more than others

i think this is the case

[Barmar]

This is primarily a customer-to-customer forum, not the place to expect official Comcast responses.

Comcast is totally at the mercy of the networks. They decide which shows they want to make available on demand and online. I don't think Comcast pays networks for on demand shows, I think it's just part of their general carriage license.

[AEspo]

I am afraid POI is not even available on CBS website-anymore. If you missed one episode, you are doomed! I don't understand how some shows are available on their website and some on demand and some-such as POI-are not available anywhere. Are they trying to kill this show? What is the different treatment of shows? What kind of logic is this? I think Comcast should bring this up to CBS next time they are negotiating..If people can not follow a show, after missing once in a while, they will stop watching-since the story line continues... 

[DenverDave1]

I'm not sure this is a Comcast issue, since full episodes of Person of Interest and other of my favorite shows are not available from the CBS website.

Person of Interest is my favorite show and I've watched it all season, however, I will be unavailable for the final episode. 

Stangely, other shows on ABC are available - maybe I'll just start watching ABC online and give up on CBS, especially for the shows that I really get into the story.

Maybe a protest petition to CBS ?

[ComcastTeds]

---

jfakerly wrote:

clearly comcast does not  care about customers as they have not provided a meaningful response

i recall seeing person of interest in on demand awhile back and now its not there

is it because Comcast is not willing to pay CBS? ie. some cbs shows cost more than others

i think this is the case

---

Person Of Interest while it is broadcast on CBS (and CBS has the broadcast rights for this program in the United States), the program is actually produced by Bad Robot and Warner Bros.Television.

More likely is that the CBS broadcast TV rights for this program may not include online streaming or On Demand viewing rights.

[bearpawz]

I too am dismayed at not being able to find POI on any streaming site. All they have are clips... like thats really going to be helpful. I think we all should protest by writing comcast, and writing CBS. There are pleanty of other shows out there I can be watching on  Thurs night and if CBS doesn't want my viewership then more power too them I guess. Seriously this falls in the same catagory as Verizon discontinuing unlimited subscriptions. Why dont these companies just run advertisment campains now that flat out say it; "Don't bother with us... go to our competition instead". 

[notfair]

I don't think Comcast has a lot to do with it, although it wouldn't hurt to let them know we'd like to be able to view the program on demand. I think CBS is the one we have to express our displeasure to. I missed last week's episode because I was on vacation. I saw last night's but I would like to watch it again.

[Barmar]

---

notfair wrote:
I think CBS is the one we have to express our displeasure to.

---

Or maybe the production companies that were listed above. Maybe they're making unreasonable demands on CBS to license it for streaming/VOD.

There's really no way for us to know where in the licensing chain the problem is.

[JayInAlg]

Maybe there's more money in DVD and Blu-ray sales.

[DenverDave1]

I still don't think that this issue is Comcast's fault.    We used to be able to go to CBS.com and watch past episodes of most shows, including Person of Interest.    We can still do this for ABC.   

I'm not all that hot about our internet access provider (any provider) also being the gatekeeper for the content.

In my case, I spent some time figuring out how to record shows again, which we haven't done for a couple of years, since I've been able to watch missed shows online, when I wanted them.  My new VCR does not have a coax connection and I can't seem to get my old VCR with the coax connection to record anything, so I couldn't seem to record the Comcast cable (my issue). 

... So I hooked up the old analog converter box connected to my house aerial that I had before I went to Comcast TV Cable and used the 3 wire out to go to my newer VCR.   Signal was fine and I recorded "Person of Interest" from CBS.   Later I watched it, favorably remembering, that with the recording, that I could skip through the commercials.

I'd still prefer to watch the CBS shows online from the CBS website with the commercials with my internet connection, when I want to watch them, but if this is not possible, I'll watch ABC online and record CBS for later viewing.

Since CBS is the big winner in the ratings wars, I think they wish to dictate when we can watch shows. I think CBS would be better recognizing that the time to dictate broadcast or at least viewing schedules has past.

My 2 cents.

[daemondog]

Here's high fiving the VCR!  Had a couple with minor problems that we put into storage a few years back in favor of On-Demand & Instant Viewing.  Well, with the tougher economy I had to start learning how to fix things, VCR's aren't that complicated - especially if you have one that's fully assembled to reference while fixing the other.

This is one example where a step backward is actually a step forward.  We love the VCR!  Cleaned the heads, capstan, pinch roller, et al & bought some high def tapes off eBay - the picture is excellent & we can watch a 1 hour program in 40 mins.

On another note - who pays $50+ for a season of POI?  Do these people just have $$ to throw away?  How many times can you watch a TV show?  Once is enough for us.

I thought advancements in technology were supposed to make things easier/more convenient?  Apparenlty not in the case of POI & Mentalist.

[aluelui]

ME TOO!  I WOULD LOVE PERSON OF INTEREST ON DEMAND !! I MISSED THE FIRST 5 EPISODES THEN GOT HOOKED AND WOULD LOVE TO CATCH UP.  I WORK A LOT AND DON'T JUST SIT IN FRONT OF THE SET ON THURSDAYS.  ON DEMAND HAS ALLOWED ME GREAT FREEDOM. 

[DenverDave1]

I was reminded of this post tonight when we discovered one of our past all time favorite, TV shows was on Netflix and we watched the first episode of Commander in Chief.    This is how TV is meant to be watched - 18 episodes, available to be watched in any order, at any time.    Granted that for other on demand medium, the commercials may be necessary - that would have not been as nice, but OK.

What is important is the move from what broadcasters want to broadcast and when they want to broadcast the shows to what viewers want to watch and when.  Why have a loser and a winner for two good shows in one timeslot - show both of them !

[smower17]

Here is another request to suggest this particular show be included "On Demand" I missed several episodes last season because of this and was hoping to get the new season On Demand but it is not. I do however appreciate that Elementary is available.

[merrymeet]

Please add Person of Interest to on-demand.  I bought the 1st season DVD because it wasn't available on demand last year.  What's up with not having it on demand this season?  

[andyross]

And again, you can't really blame Comcast. Yell at CBS and/or the production company. They are the ones that set what is and isn't available.

[jlhalbleib]

Please add my request to have Person of Interest added to the VOD roster.  I missed the first season episode due to the flakey DVR interface, which caused it not to record.

[SaraF]

I am very disappointed that I can't get Person of Interest through On Demand.  I teach on Thursday nights and miss the show,  I have looked everywhere to be able to view it, as it is a great show.  I looked at CBS and all they have is short clips available.  That is unacceptable.

What do we have to do to get them to release the rights so that it can be On Demand.  You put every other show up ther. Even Elementary is already On Demand.  That is not fair.

[7Peg]

Person Of Interest is a really good show.  From what I am reading viewers enjoy the show and want it on demand and feel WB, the CBS, and providers are game playing leaving viewers without and thus feeling cheated...do I have that right?  I have been using as many feedback forums as I can find to let WB, the CBS, and providers know! Even posted on PoI FB site!  I am told viewers have power so post in as many forums as you find, Tweet, FB, etc...make them want to change.

[7Peg]

Person Of Interest is a really good show.  From what I am reading viewers enjoy the show and want it on demand and feel WB, the CBS, and providers are game playing leaving viewers without and thus feeling cheated...do I have that right?  I have been using as many feedback forums as I can find to let WB, the CBS, and providers know! Even posted on PoI FB site!  I am told viewers have power so post in as many forums as you find, Tweet, FB, etc...make them want to change.

[kevmel123]

Another POI fan. Don't want to wait until the reruns in the spring. Can Comcast send an encouraging note along to CBS??? Thx !!

[Joanmg]

I too recall seeing Person Of Interest on On Demand in the past and was really disappointed that we couldn't watch last weeks episode.  I didn't dvr it because I assumed it would be available.  This is really a problem with CBS.  What gives?

[jko2]

This is ridiculous.  It's clearly the second year that this has been an issue, yet CBS and Comcast continue not to share person of interest via On Demand.  What gives?

[Amiller15]

CBS does not own the rights to Person of Interest. Therefore CBS can not allow comcast to have it on Demand and also not on CBS.COM. This is also the case with How I Met Your Mother.

WB ownes the rights! That is where our problem is. 

[pgermtv]

Producers, not CBS (and not Comcast...), want to protect demand for DVDs...  They produced it, so that is within their rights. 

[chrisier]

What's sad is that CBS and WB have little to no problem making full episodes of their CW shows available on demand.... and Arrow is the only one of those really worth watching.

[carolehurst]

It is irritating.  I missed two shows, about the kidnapping, and now I cannot find them.  It decreases the desire to continue watching when you get behind.  I kept looking as I could not believe it would not be available.  Will try a few more sites before calling it quits.

Person of Interest, I thought they decided to cancel it and that was why they did not care if people found it or not.  When I know a show is going to be canceled soon, I don't see a lot of incentive to continue watching it. 

[hmmogil8]

Add my wife and I to the growing list of VOD customers that want to catch up on Person of Interest.  Other CBS shows are there; why not POI?

Mike

[pmount]

It's simple, Warner Brothers holds the rights not CBS.  They don't want it reshown.   Nothing comcast can do.

[Grabber]

Can anyone figure out why.  We were on  vacation and missed two episodes.   Because of the background story, we stopped watching altogether.  Maybe will watch in the replay season, maybe not.

[memaamber]

I was wondering if "Person of Interest" would be offered on demand soon. I seems to be a popular enough program to be included.

Thank you