[opendtv] Re: News: TV Braces for the Apple Tablet

  • From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:15:11 -0500

At 10:18 AM -0600 1/28/10, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
For the broadcast content, at least, you can now get it for free, with only a handful of 30-second ad breaks, from the TV networks' own web sites. Why would anyone ballyhoo an Apple service that sells those at exorbitant rates per episode? Do you PREFER to pay for TV content, even when the networks provide it for free?
Many network shows are NOT available, and they are often significantly delayed. And hardly any cable shows are available.
Maybe 5 commecials per episode, each one 30 seconds long. I would completely agree that they probably don't pay for themselves this way, however as of now, they do exist. 


 And there have been many recent indications that Hulu and others
 are going to start charging for the service - you can bet that
 the ads will still be there.


P R E C I S E L Y ! !
When and if we have to pay, the ads will either be there from the start, or the ads will appear in short order. So I ask once again, why is it that we're supposed to be celebrating the Apple model, charging for content that is now available free of charge?
I am not celebrating that model. I have purchased movies from Apple, but I have never paid for a TV show.
The point I was making is that Apple has begrudgingly led the congloms down a different path; along the way they have had to make this palatable for the congloms, often agreeing to deals that are NOT a good value for consumers. You could call these "demonstration projects."
The reality is that these high prices are self limiting in terms of the size of the potential market. But it has demonstrated that other models can work. The major barriers to mass acceptance are affordable broadband and reasonable prices for the content.
Now it appears that the media is falling all over itself to get on Apple's bandwagon - seems they are finally coming to the realization that they either play ball and change their business models... 

Or risk being replaced by those who understand the new rules of the game.

Regards
Craig


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