• by Wayne Friedman , December 10, 2013

TV program distributors should do more in establishing video-on-demand services, according to Jeff Bewkes of Time Warner.

Speaking to CNBC after his appearance at the UBS media conference, Bewkes, chairman and chief executive officer of Time Warner, says: “Video on demand [VOD] is the most important advance in television. It’s important to everyone. It’s happening on the Internet; it’s happening in your living room.”

Bewkes says Time Warner’s efforts around VOD are the biggest of all media companies: “They are going to make more money, and we are going to make more money.”

When asked whether cable operator consolidation would help further that VOD business along, Bewkes said: “If the companies that are growing by consolidation are offering [VOD] to consumers, that would be a good thing.”

He said all this takes “energy” -- and money. But Time Warner is doing its part. “We like to encourage those that are doing this... We have given [those companies] the rights and we haven’t charged extra.”

When asked about low-cost competition from Netflix or Amazon Prime -- especially in regard to Time Warner’s HBO, which they have been compared with -- Bewkes said: “These things go together. HBO households love Netflix; Netflix homes watch more HBO than any other households. They are different but complementary. "