With services like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video generating substantial amounts of revenue, cable providers are increasingly turning toward TV Everywhere as their answer to over-the-top (OTT) content. Essentially, the technology lets cable customers watch the shows they want on the devices they want—no matter where they happen to be—so long as an Internet connection is available.Some industry naysayers have pumped the breaks on the TV Everywhere movement, pointing out some of the shortcomings evident in the technology. But the fact is that TV Everywhere is still in its infancy and will inevitably undergo growing pains before living up to its full potential. In fact, many of these criticisms are half-truths at best. Let’s take a look at three unfair criticisms of TV Everywhere:

1. Lack of awareness. While it may be true that some customers are still in the dark regarding TV Everywhere technology, they are increasingly finding out about it and embracing it wholeheartedly. In fact, TV Everywhere viewing more than doubled between 2013 and 2014 according to research release by Adobe, growing 108 percent over the course of 12 months. However, there is still room for the market to grow as only 21 percent of households have made use of the technology, according to the same report. So providers must educate their customers and let them know exactly what benefits their accounts bring them.
2. Poor user experiences. How many usernames and passwords do you have to remember? With banking, credit card accounts, social media, email, e-commerce, insurance and investment accounts—among countless others—it can be difficult (not to mention mind-numbing) to have to log into yet another account to take advantage of TV Everywhere. Some say that customers are turned off from the technology because of authentication issues. The good news is that by focusing on making that process as smooth as possible—with features like automated in-home authorization, for example—forward-thinking providers can easily extinguish this criticism.
3. Suboptimal monetization opportunities. It’s true that the platform might have taken some time to get off the ground, leaving many curious as to whether TV Everywhere could be monetized. But recent research shows that ad views on TV Everywhere platforms increased 368 percent during Q3 2014 compared to the previous year. As technology evolves and networks accelerate, providers can be optimistic that this trend will continue, proving that TV Everywhere can in fact be monetized.