24 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 1 2007
WA T C H T H I S
ILLUSTRATIONBYSAMUELSOLOMON
Imagine this: You’re on the
golf course, close to the
green, and you’re in need
of a short chip shot to sink
the hole. At first, you panic.
But then you remember
Golf
Tipswith JoeBeck,
theOn
Networks show you recently
downloaded to your iPhone.
Withinminutes, right there
on the green, you’ve accessed
instant pointers on how to
successfullymake your shot.
Cut to scene two: You’re now
in the kitchen, and it’s just
moments before the start of
a cocktail party to honor your
boss. You have the vodka, but
you can’t remember how in
theworld tomake a decent
lemon drop. No problem; grab
your iPhone and click to the
correct episode of OnNet-
works’
Cocktails on the Fly
,
thatwhimsical cocktail-
makingprogram you love.
If recent trends continue,
more than 130millionAmeri-
cans— three out of four
peoplewho have an Internet
connection—will watch a
video thismonthwithout
using aTV. In fact, according
to themarket researchfirm
ComScore, the average Inter-
net user in theUnitedStates
will watch almost three hours
of digital video thismonth
alone. Across the globe, avid
Internet users are turning
off the boob tube in favor of
watching commercial-free,
shorter programs andmovies
onmobile phones and com-
puter screens. Television, it
seems, may already be taking
a backseat to those.
That’swhyOnNetworks,
anAustin-based new-media
company, has spent somuch
time developing a catalog
of professionally produced
short videos aimed at savvy
consumers. The hip high-res
programs speak to the latest
trends, from cooking to fash-
ion to football. Best of all, the
shows are free to download
through iTunes and on de-
mand fromwww.onnetworks
.com, and you canwatch
them anytime, anywhere, and
on any screen, from a65-inch
plasmaTV to a21-inchmoni-
tor to a pocket-size iPhone.
—B.H.
THE5-MINUTEDRILL
, a fantasy-
football extravaganzawith quick-strike
analysis andwinning strategies for play-
ers, features FootballGuys.com hosts Cecil
Lammey andSigmundBloom.
LUSTFORLOOKS
is a no-nonsense guide
and crash course for thosemenwho are
aspiring to bewell dressed.
STUMPTHECHEF
is a
wacky cooking
show that stars one seasoned chef, three
random ingredients, and three tough
judges.
ONDATING
is a
new video guide to suc-
cess for thosewho are pursuing online
relationships.
TRYTHISATHOME
follows two rather
cynical hosts as they put lifestyle tips,
oldwives’ tales, andmodern solutions to
the test.
SHELTERED
, a showproduced from the
animals’ points of view, honors the thou-
sands of dogs and cats that enter animal
shelters acrossAmerica each year.
WHAT’SONVIEW
ANewKindofDirectTV
