Time Warner Cable Leapfrogs DVR With Anytime Viewing

Time Warner Cable Inc., working to lure subscribers amid intensifying competition, plans to let digital-television customers watch shows whenever they want without paying more for a video recorder. The project, called Enhanced TV, has features that allow customers to watch hit shows without planning ahead, Chief Strategy Officer Peter Stern said. Subscribers can restart programs if they missed the beginning, watch shows up to three days after the air date, and eventually view programs older than three days. The new features also may persuade customers to keep watching cable instead of switching to the Internet for shows, Stern said. New York-based Time Warner Cable found 80 percent of people who watch on the Web do so to catch up on missed programs.