Rabbit TV (Free Online TV Service) – A Marketing Review

It’s another Thursday night and the programming on television is unbelievably bad.

We’re talking so bad that you and the kids are about to take up hobbies such as star gazing, building model airplanes, or taking up the incredibly uncool art of reading books and magazines.  Yeah, things are that lame on TV right now.

While flipping through the TV guide for the fourth time in less than ten minutes, you can’t help but wonder if there’s any way you can make the evening more lively.  You already subscribe to a TV channel package with over 200 choices, including some premium movie channels, but there has got to be a better way of entertaining yourself.

And for free, too.

This is the Internet Age for crying out loud!  Everything should be free to access, right?  Hell yeah!

What’s this?

Rabbit TV website — www.RabbitTV.com

The Rabbit TV?

You mean I don’t have to pay to watch the same crappy shows that I’m paying for right now?  I can access them for FREE?  And it’s legal, too?!?  The Internet police aren’t going to throw me in jail?  Holy cow!

Rabbit TV – TV commercial

Let’s take a closer look at the Rabbit TV commercial and see how this product is being advertised to the general public.  Is this a scam or a useful product?  Let’s try to figure out if it’s legitimate.

Rabbit TV – TV commercial – The shows these days are horrible!  I mean, wow!  Why should anybody pay for this crap?

The Rabbit TV television commercial begins with a family disgusted (and quite bored as well) with their TV programming.  Well, this problem can be solved with many solutions that do NOT involve TV shows.  From video games to research projects to hobbies to getting out and seeing the world (or at least the local community) to watching / renting movies, there are many ways that a family can still entertain themselves these days without mindless flipping through the TV listing.

But that’s not the point with this TV commercial.  These people are bored with their television and need to find a way to get more entertainment out of it.

Rabbit TV – TV commercial – And the solution is . . . a bunch of people jumping around in rabbit costumes.

Actually, the solution here is an as-seen-on-TV product known as Rabbit TV.  The only problem with this scene is that the family is acting like they can use the Rabbit TV to watch television shows on a regular TV, but that’s not as easy as it sounds.  Not yet anyway.  According to the website’s FAQ page, right now the Rabbit TV is only designed to work with computers and laptops and NOT tablets or smart TVs.

To make Rabbit TV work on a television set like in this example, you’ll have to find a way to connect your laptop or computer to the TV set.  Traditionally this requires a video output card on the computer and a cable that connects the computer with the television.  A person will then have to use the laptop or computer to use the Rabbit TV software and select the programming that they want to watch on their TV.  It’s not like you can just sit back and use a remote to control everything.  Things aren’t that easy for us . . . yet.

But yes.  The Rabbit TV is supposedly the solution for the family who is already bored with watching TV.  Ummm, yeah.

Rabbit TV – TV commercial – How many of those ’5,000 FREE TV Stations’ can you already access?

The Rabbit TV television commercial proudly claims that you’ll have access to “Over 5,000 FREE TV Stations” through the use of the Rabbit TV software.  The big questions are, A) Are those 5,000 FREE TV stations any good?, and B) Is Rabbit TV really needed to access those free online television stations?  Stayed tuned as we analyze that second question in the end of this article.

Rabbit TV – TV commercial – You call that a USB card?

The Rabbit TV commercial claims that all you have to do is plug in the special Rabbit TV USB stick, and then your computer will magically become one of the greatest entertainment centers in the entire world.  Or something similar to that.  But it all begins with the Rabbit TV USB card.  The website’s FAQ page claims that the Rabbit TV USB card merely has a “key” that allows you access to the Rabbit TV guide which is presumably stored on a website.

The commercial goes on showing how the Rabbit TV is compatible with pretty much any PC or Mac computer or laptop (no word if it works with Linux systems).  As long as you have a USB port and access to high-speed Internet, then you can use Rabbit TV to watch streaming television shows.

Rabbit TV – TV commercial – Better make some free time so you can start enjoying those 5,000 FREE channels!

And just how many channels can we supposedly access again?  Over 5,000?  Wow.

Can we have any details about those “5,000 free channels”?  Are they all in English and based in the U.S.?  Do they include local TV stations that stream their news coverage online?  Considering that many TV providers only go up to about 250 or 300 television channels in the top packages, advertising access to over 5,000 television channels seems a bit exaggerated, especially if it includes other languages besides English.  The Rabbit TV website throws around example TV channels such as ABC, NBC, Disney Channel, Travel Channel, History Channel, HGTV, and more, but as you’ll later see, virtually all of those channels already stream full TV show episodes through their website —– and it’s free!

Rabbit TV – TV commercial – Show the world how you conquered your fear of boredom!

The Rabbit TV advertisement goes on to tell us how we can use this on our computers and laptops, whether it’s at home, at work, in a hotel room, on campus, or even at the airport, and we’ll “. . . never be bored again!”  Whew, that’s a relief.  I was worried about being bored at places like work or on campus, but now I know I can just sit back and watch television shows instead of being productive or learning new skills.

What’s odd is that the extremely brief example of using Rabbit TV in a hotel room is actually a fantastic selling point.  How many times have you been stuck at a hotel that had a really crappy selection of TV channels, but that same hotel had Internet access?  With a product such as Rabbit TV (or an alternate solution that’ll be discussed at the end of this article) you can have much better entertainment on your laptop than what the hotel’s weak collection of television channels can provide.

Rabbit TV – TV commercial – FREE weather information?!?  Holy f&*k!  That does it.  I’m sold on Rabbit TV now!

Yes, as the saleswoman is talking about the price of Rabbit TV, but in the background it actually claims that you’ll have free weather information as part of the Rabbit TV package.  Yeah, like finding the weather forecast and severe weather information is really hard to do, especially finding it for free.  Several major companies provide weather information and forecasts for free, and virtually all local news stations have websites that also provide that information for free.  The fact that the Rabbit TV advertisement actually mentions something like “FREE Weather” is hilariously bad on their part.

What’s also hilarious is that according to this advertisement, some people out there still living underneath rocks might expect such a product like this to cost as high as $200 or even $500.  Of course, this is an as-seen-on-TV product, so we know that it’s not going to cost anywhere near that much money.  But the fact that they try to pull that crap is hilarious, especially when you start doing research and seeing if this product is even necessary for all the claims they make in the commercial.

Rabbit TV – TV commercial – It’ll even give you access to streaming radio stations.

But it’s not just free TV shows that you can access with Rabbit TV.  In case you were truly bored and seeking out an obscene amount of online music, Rabbit TV also provides access to over 9,000 streaming radio stations.  Of course, it’s not like free streaming radio stations are really that hard to find.  Virtually every radio station in town these days provides a free streaming service on their website, and other websites provide directories for online stations in other markets across the country, from music to sports to news to talk radio.

When you go a step further and talk about FREE online music stations like Pandora, Live365 and iHeartRadio, you have to wonder just what kind of crap the advertisers are trying to pull on their consumers with this completely useless selling feature with “Over 9,000 Radio Stations.”

The only way this feature would be useful is if it found a way to stream music through radio stations and SKIP THE COMMERCIALS.  Now that would be a great selling feature.  Since we don’t hear anything about a feature as powerful as that, it’s very doubtful that it works that way.

Rabbit TV – TV commercial – All of that access can be yours for just $10 . . . . per year.

At the end of the advertisement we’re hit with the sales pitch.

The TOTAL COST of the Rabbit TV comes to AN INITIAL PRICE of $16.99 ($10 + $6.99 S&H) for a SINGLE Rabbit TV USB card.  The company’s website has a promotion where you can voluntarily add a second Rabbit TV USB card for an additional $6.99, making the TOTAL COST of the DOUBLE Rabbit TV USB card promotion $23.98 ($10 + $6.99 S&H + $6.99 for the second Rabbit TV USB card).

The cost of Rabbit TV does not end there!

As it states on the company’s website, Rabbit TV requires a YEARLY FEE of $10 for continued usage of the product.  It’s not stated if that fee applies to each of the Rabbit TV USB cards, or if one fee covers all the USB cards in your possession.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The big question is, Is Rabbit TV really necessary to use your computer to watch free television shows from the Internet?

I don’t know.  What I do know is that MANY networks provide FREE online access to the latest episodes of TV shows.  No gimmicks.  No registration or membership.  Just click on the links and start watching recent episodes of television shows.  NOTE – This listing of shows was accurate at the time of this article’s publication.  Available shows and networks may have changed since that point.

• ABC – shows with free online full episodes include: Dancing with the Stars; Grey’s Anatomy; Nashville; Modern Family; Splash; 666 Park Avenue; Castle; Last Man Standing; Once Upon a Time; Revenge; Shark Tank, etc.  The website also provides access to TV specials and ABC Family Movies.

• CBS – shows with free online full episodes include: Blue Bloods; Vegas; Undercover Boss; Two and a Half Men; Elementary; The Big Bang Theory; CSI; Criminal Minds; The Amazing Race; Survivor, etc.

• FOX – shows with free online full episodes include: Family Guy; The Following; Bones; The Cleveland Show; The Simpsons, etc.

• NBC – shows with free online full episodes include: 30 Rock; The Event; Celebrity Apprentice; Biggest Loser; Chicago Fire; Grimm; Law and Order: SVU; The New Normal; Parks and Recreation; Revolution; Smash, etc.  — BONUS – NBC also provides full access to classic television shows such as: The A-Team; Battlestar Galactica; Knight Rider; Miami Vice; and Quantum Leap.

• A&E – shows with free online full episodes include: Bates Motel; Billy the Exterminator; Beyond Scared Straight; Cold Case Files; Dog the Bounty Hunter; Duck Dynasty; The First 48; Hoarders; Intervention; Storage Wars, etc.

• Adult Swim (part of Cartoon Network) – shows with free online full episodes include: Aqua Teen Hunger Force; China, IL; Loiter Squad; Squidbillies; Robot Chicken, etc.

• Bravo TV – shows with free online full episodes include: The Real Housewives of Atlanta / Beverly Hills, etc.

• Discovery Channel – shows with free online full episodes include: Bearing Sea Gold; Deadliest Catch, etc.

• The Disney Channel – shows with free online full episodes include: Shake It Up; Jessie; Good Luck Charlie; Dog With a Blog; A.N.T. Farm; Austin & Ally; Gravity Falls, etc.

• Food Network – shows with free online full episodes include: Chopped; Cupcake Wars; Iron Chef America; Restaurant: Impossible; Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; Guy’s Big Bite; etc.

• FX Network – shows with free online full episodes include: The Americans; Legit, etc.

• HGTV – shows with free online full episodes include: Curb Appeal; Designed To Sell; House Hunters; My Yard Goes Disney; Property Virgins; Yard Crashers, etc.

• History Channel – shows with free online full episodes include: American Pickers; American Restoration; Ancient Aliens; Ax Men; Big Rig Bounty Hunters; How The Earth Was Made; How The States Got Their Shapes; Ice Road Truckers; Modern Marvels; Pawn Stars; Swamp People; Top Gear; The Universe, etc.

• MTV

• National Geographic Channel – shows with free online full episodes include: Alaska State Troopers; Border Wars; Drugs, Inc.; Explorer; Known Universe; Locked Up Abroad; Mysteries of the Bible; Naked Science; Shark Men; Taboo; Ultimate Factories, etc.

• South Park – free online access to ALL of the South Park episodes

• Spike – shows with free online full episodes include: Auction Hunters; Bar Rescue; 1,000 Ways to Die; Deadliest Warrior; GTTV; IMPACT WRESTLING; PowerBlock; Repo Games; World’s Worst Tenants; World’s Wildest Police Videos, etc.

• SyFy – shows with free online full episodes include: Alphas; Ghost Hunters; Eureka; Face Off; Total Blackout; Warehouse 13, etc.

• TLC – shows with free online full episodes include: America’s Worst Tattoos; Four Weddings; Little Couple, etc.

• Travel Channel – shows with free online full episodes include: Beach TV Specials; Ghost Adventures; The Dead Files; Mysteries at the Museum; Bizarre Foods, etc.

• USA Network – shows with free online full episodes include: Psych; White Collar; Suits; Necessary Roughness; The Moment, etc.

Keep in mind that these are just some examples of channels and TV shows where you can watch full episodes for FREE on the Internet.  Most networks limit the number of free episodes to the last five or so new ones, and the selection is going to vary depending on which shows are airing new episodes.  As you can see, some networks are more generous and provide more online episodes than others.

On top of these networks, you can also watch even more episodes of shows through Hulu.  The free service allows you to watch new episodes of shows while Hulu Plus (a pay-for service) gives you access to older episodes and past seasons of shows.

When you throw in the streaming news stations for network affiliate stations across the country, you literally have access to a hundred or so more TV channels.  If you want some fun, find a streaming news station for places like Dallas, TX or Oklahoma City, OK when those cities get hit with severe weather.  Now that’s some cool stuff!

So tell me again, why do I need Rabbit TV when I can already access a TON of free TV show episodes right now through the network websites and Hulu?  How about the fact that online streaming music is incredibly easy to find and normally free to access?

The TV commercial and website information for Rabbit TV are both quite vague and provide very little information about the product and software.  That’s extremely sketchy, especially when the advertising keeps throwing around big numbers such as the 5,000 TV channels and 9,000 radio stations.  They want you to stay focused on the big shiny numbers versus the practicality of such a product, especially when a tremendous amount of free content is already available online through the television networks’ websites.

A little Internet research into free streaming content can go a long way.  It can also help cure your boredom. 

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All of the Rabbit TV commercial images were screenshots of a TV commercial currently available on YouTube and the product’s website.  For more product information, please visit the company’s website at www.RabbitTV.com.

Rabbit TV is a registered trademark.

RellimZone.com is not affiliated with Rabbit TV, Hulu, or any of the television networks, channels or shows listed and linked to in this article.

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This article was originally posted at www.chamberofreviews.com on April 6, 2013.