Craig Birkmaier wrote: > So here is a perfect example of how the content oligopoly is misusing the > Internet > Bert. Just pull high value content from the Internet when you are trying to > squeeze the MVPDs for another nickle. Fox still transmits FOTA, I assume also in NYC. Fox still streams over the Internet, also I assume in NYC. So, how is it the content oligopoly (Fox, in this particular dispute) that is misusing the Internet?? Not saying they might not do that some other time, but I don't follow your logic at all in this Cablevision vs Fox squabble. I agree that the two parties are trying to out-greed each other. But the simple truth is, Fox is still providing their most valuable content for free, over other media, even as we speak. And yet, you continue to blame them alone. > Now let's consider an alternative. Let's assume that Fox gets a buck from > Cablevision for their broadcast network. Seems to me that it should be > possible > to pay Fox a buck to stream the same content from their website. > > But that ain't gonna happen because the ability to obtain just the channels > you > watch (want) would kill the MVPD bundling model that forces subscribers to pay > for stuff they don't want. The alternatives are infinite, practically. Fox can run their own web site, as they do now, and they can transmit free over Internet, or charge per view or per month. Or Fox can out-source the web site to some other company. Fox can also bundle its TV content in one for-pay Internet TV package, or they can create separate by-subscription-only bundles. If I buy an Internet-enabled TV, I would expect no collusion WHATEVER between Fox, or some independent web site, and the CE company that makes the TV set. I expect that the TV set would support access to any web site, and would support the conditional access standards that already exist. I just don't see why Fox would have to have the MVPD model survive at all. They can achieve the same effect without traditional MVPDs, if they so choose. Which says to me, you're off base when you put all the blame on the content oligopoly. Bert ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.