[opendtv] Re: Freeview realities

  • From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2006 11:50:52 -0500

At 6:20 PM -0500 11/15/06, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
Much more plausible, instead, and staying away from silly conspiracy
theories (even if there is some truth to them), is that in those
European countries that have successful DTT, broadcasters have put
together an attractive DTT package without being browbeaten into
submission by the cable companies. Somehow, they managed to offer a
meaningfully different service compared with the analog. And somehow,
the cable and DBS businesses haven't prevented them.

Nor are cable and DBS preventing U.S. broadcasters from doing something competitive with the DTV spectrum. The difference here is very easy to understand. Any perceived intimidation or squabbling between broadcasters and the multichannel services is just to cover for the fact that they have a great scam going thanks to help from the politicians. Why would you want to give something away, when you can get people to pay for it?

Broadcasters in the U.S. are VERY HAPPY with the current situation, where they can get the cable and DBS companies to collect subscriber fees for them.


CE manufacturers see this and respond accordingly.

YUP. THERE IS NO MARKET FOR ATSC STBs in the U.S. But the CE guys would LOVE to be building cable boxes. By the way, there is no market for integrated receivers in the U.S. That's just another payoff to the companies that brought us ATSC. With the FCC receiver mandates, you would not see any sets being built with ATSC receivers.


Over here, thanks to said intimidation, the broadcasters offer over DTT
not much more than what they offer as NTSC.

BECAUSE that's the quid pro quo. The only possible benefit to a licensed broadcaster in offering more services would be if they were carried by cable and DBS so as to reach an audience. That ain't going to happen, because the companies that supply content to the broadcasters ALSO own 90% of the content that people subscribe to a multichannel service to watch. These companies much prefer to go direct via cable and DBS, so that they do not need to share revenues with the broadcasters.

Meanwhile in Europe, the content companies are paying a premium to get their stuff on the FTA service.

Regards
Craig


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