That’s right, soon everyone will be able to see the type of viewing A-B thinks is appropriate for the masses.  Bud TV is the beer industry’s latest cross-over utilizing brand-driven content, advertising, and entertainment all found online.  The web-based network is expected to kick off sometime in February.  A-B hopes they will be able to launch Bud TV in conjunction with the Super Bowl, the sporting event A-B has a long and storied relationship with; remember the Bud Bowl played during halftime of the Super Bowl?

The Bud TV site will launch with content such as homemade Budweiser commercials, reality shows focused on beer as well as programming intended to air during the nation’s happy hours.  A-B’s intention is to corner an un-tapped market of programming that runs while individuals wind down from work at their local happy hour.  What better way to encourage someone to purchase a Budweiser than by running Bud-inspired programming as they are purchasing beer?

Opponents of the web-based channel are coming out in droves the beer giant.  While A-B contends the channel will cater to the 21-27 mostly male demographic, some are arguing that A-B is aiming their marketing efforts at younger audiences.  Currently the largest audience of web-based entertainment is teenagers.  Many are contending that since the internet does not have the same rules about marketing certain items to children like beer, alcohol and cigarettes, the King of Beers is trying to sneak their message in to a dangerously impressionable age group.

We will have to wait and see the impact that Bud TV makes on the world of entertainment, but for now I think it’s safe to say that Budweiser is not consciously trying to influence individuals under the age of 21.  As we all know the internet is quickly growing as the new entertainment medium.  With thousands of companies broadcasting programming on the net, A-B is simply jumping into new and exciting territory.  All they have to do is have an age verification sign-in on the front page, like any other website not intended for minors, and they will prove to this writer their foray into internet broadcasting is on the up and up.  So keep your web browsers open and stay tuned!