[opendtv] Re: FCC's spectrum plan gives broadcasters food for thought
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 09:16:30 -0400
At 3:32 PM -0500 7/2/10, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
> What the MVPDs are growing concerned about is that so much money
is on the table now that it is becoming possible to offer
economically attractive alternatives to cable. And when this
happens, the content oligopoly can cut out almost all of the
middlemen.
And good for them. I see no reason to become so partisan about this.
You are the partisan here, religiously defending the continued
existence of "FREE" over the air television. Entertainment was the
bait to get people hooked on the mass media. If it had simply been a
medium to deliver the news (which is always about politics), public
service and emergency warnings, it would never have had much impact.
The perception that the entertainment delivered by Broadcast TV is
FREE lies at the heart of this discussion. Just as corporations DO
NOT pay taxes, advertising is not free. All of this gets bundled into
the prices we pay for EVERYTHING.
Entertainment is a consumable product; it can be expensive to create,
and clearly has value like any other product. One can argue that the
current system delivers TOO MUCH "value" to those who feast off of
what I call the mass media funnel - that is, the concentration of
revenue into a few hands based on hundreds of millions of potential
viewers making a few thousand people wealthy beyond any reasonable
measure of their contributions to society. This includes talent,
including professional athletes, and the producers who give the
talent a stage...
Something tells me you will not be a happy camper when you are forced
to pay directly for the entertainment you consume. And not just pay,
but pay monopoly rents for this stuff - stuff that in many cases will
still be stuffed with commercials.
First of all, the "content oligopoly" would also be threatened, with
the dismantlement of walled gardens like the MVPDs. Because anyone
can create content over the Internet.
Not a chance. They have far too much control. Yes there will be
independent producers who will break through, but promotion and
distribution are far too important. It is the relentless cross
promotion of the talent and content they choose to bring us that
drives ratings.
But even more important, it is the position that they have created in
driving public opinion that keeps them in power. The stage is
constantly filled with actors that challenge current social mores
while advocating political positions, athletes as role models, and
politicians who are actors that crave a different kind of
celebrity... AND power.
There is only one way to undermine this... the people must stop
watching, and that ain;t gonna happen.
Secondly, I see no reason for rushing to the defense of the poor
helpless MVPD oligopolies, as opposed to the content oligopolies. If
anything, the MVPD oligopolies are far more capable of surviving,
because they can morph into broadband providers, and still deploy
walled gardens along with that broadband service. As the DC Circuit
ruled. So honestly, I have never been able to understand your
arguments about this.
Who is defending the MVPDs. Certainly not me. They are just another
cog in the gears that drive the current system. I guess you have been
ignoring all the posts I have made recently stating that they are the
next victim for the content oligopoly.
Perhaps you are confused by the fact that they have the best game in
town now for distribution, especially as it relates to delivering
improved forms of advertising that are more targeted and accountable.
This is the direct result of their investment of nearly $100 billion
in infrastructure.
\The bottom line is, FOTA broadcasting is no threat to MVPDs.
It is no threat to anyone anymore...
The American public is far, far too self-indulgent to go en masse
to FOTA TV only.
It's not about indulgence.. It is about content, and most of what
people are watching is not available via FOTA.
THIS IS BY DESIGN BERT. Broadcasters have no way to collect that all
important second revenue stream. Advertising alone is no longer
sufficient to sustain FOTA.
The content oligopolies cannot threaten MVPDs either. MVPDs provide
Internet broadband, MVPDs are not being forced to let others use
their infrastructure, MVPDs can afford to create their own content,
and with the self-indulgent American consumer, MVPDs can go ahead
and jack up their rates to whatever they please. When 85 or more
percent of households scramble to get hooked up and addicted, what
can any MVPD possibly have to worry about?
People dropping their service because it is becoming too expensive,
while alternatives provide enough of what they want for a fraction of
the price.
It's all you can eat, event though you never eat most of what is
offered, versus paying only for your meals...
Regards
Craig
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
Other related posts:
