Just wondering if they might have changed their name. As I found this article at the Dallas Morning news a few days ago.
Online TV network puts cowboy culture on computers
BY ELIZABETH LANGTON
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS - The wild West and the computer age seem an odd marriage.
But executives at the Gold Buckle Network in Addison, Texas, say renewed interest in cowboy culture and the emerging technology
of Internet TV complement each other perfectly.
"It's going to change not just Western (programming) but movie-making and entertainment as a whole," Gold Buckle CEO Chris Hill
said about providing traditional TV content on the Web.
The Gold Buckle Network targets an audience of Western lifestyle enthusiasts - people who may attend rodeos, fish and hunt, and
listen to country music. The Web site, which launched in November 2004, is part TV network, part radio station and part general
store. Growth among rodeo audiences spurred the company's development.
"It's the next big breakout sport," Hill said. "We just ended up on the early end of the deal."
Nationally televised rodeo events, such as Professional Bull Riders competitions, in some cases have attracted more viewers than
NBA games, said author and freelance writer W.K. Stratton of Austin, Texas. Stratton's book, "Chasing the Rodeo," was published
last year.
He said that fans like the speed and danger of rodeo but that they also feel drawn to the sport's history.
"The myth of the West, that's our national myth," he said. "Our heroes are cowboys."
Gold Buckle also appears to be on the cutting edge of the emerging Internet TV trend, said TV industry analyst Phillip Swann.
"It's coming," he said. "The networks know it. They are all preparing for it."
TV networks, along with cable and satellite companies, are already adapting to consumers' desire for on-demand video. Such services
allow viewers, usually for a fee, to choose when they watch programs rather than conforming to network schedules.
Gold Buckle offers the same type of on-demand product on its Web site. Without downloading any files or software, users can view
streaming video of rodeos, TV shows and musicians. Computer-television connection kits allow viewers to watch on their TV
screens rather than computer monitors.
Swann, author of "TV Dot Com: The Future of Interactive Television," said expanding the video on-demand concept to the Internet
allows for more content and audience targeting.
Internet sites cost less to operate than traditional broadcast and cable TV networks. Because they need fewer viewers and less
advertising, such Web sites can target specialized audiences, Swann said.
Hill said Gold Buckle puts the viewers in control.
"The whole concept was, put the consumers in charge of what they want to watch instead of the broadcasters deciding what to feed
them," he said.
The broadcast networks have recently entered the on-demand arena. ABC last year started offering shows such as "Desperate
Housewives" and "Lost" through iTunes.
NBC and CBS followed by inking deals with DirecTV and Comcast, respectively, that make programs such as "Law & Order:
Criminal Intent" and "CSI" available on-demand. Google, AOL and Yahoo all have reached similar deals for TV shows.
Gold Buckle Network's library contains TV shows, rodeo events, movies and music videos. Titles include TV episodes of "The Lone
Ranger" and "The Cisco Kid" as well as movies starring John Wayne and Roy Rogers.
Much of the content is free, but some newer items cost $1. Eventually, parts of the site will become subscription-based.
Executives plan to add hundreds of titles in the coming months, including tractor-pull coverage and Gold Buckle-produced programs.
Cody Bertram, a 26-year-old Addison software engineer, watches rodeo coverage and movies from the Gold Buckle Network,
though he doesn't consider himself part of the Western lifestyle.
"I've never been a cowboy or anything, but I do like the culture," he said.
Bertram said the quality of Gold Buckle's streaming video impressed him. A link between his computer and television allows him
watch on a 52-inch screen.
"I think what they've done is actually going to be more commonplace in the future," he said. "The Internet will become the focal
point of your entertainment center."
---
GOLD BUCKLE NETWORK
SITE:
www.goldbucklenetwork.comCOST: Registration is required, but most content is currently free.
CONTENT: See music videos from Robert Earl Keen and Steve Earle, movies including "Sitting Bull" and "Rage at Dawn,"
episodes of the "Outdoor Trails" TV show and coverage of rodeo sporting events
What do you think?