NBC, Time Warner Plan To Stick With Flash Instead Of iPhone, iPad-Friendly HTML5

May 31, 2010 0 Comments

The potential of the tablet PC as a media consumption device and the extraordinary success of the iPad has helped Apple convince a lot of media companies like CBS and Fox to move away from Flash to a more open platform like HTML5 for rendering online videos. Media companies like Disney have taken the alternate mobile app route to reach their customers on the iPad

However, it now appears that not all companies may be ready to ditch Flash. The New York Post has reported that several media companies, including Time Warner and NBC, have informed Apple of their decision to not alter their video libraries to make their videos iPad-compatible. The companies have noted that such a reformatting could be expensive and would not be rewarding enough since Flash was the most dominant platform.

According to the Post, a possible reason for this decision could be the hype surrounding the imminent launch of Flash-enabled iPad alternatives like HP Slate, which these media companies believe will be received well in the market. Also, Apple’s walled garden is reported to adversely impact Time Warner’s “TV Anywhere” initiative that allows pay-TV customers to access content from any platform.

While the stand taken by these companies appear logical, it is not entirely far-sighted considering the drawbacks of Flash and the increasing prominence of HTML5 across the web.