[opendtv] Re: The Guardian: TV should switch to internet, peers suggest

  • From: Craig Birkmaier <brewmastercraig@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2015 08:22:44 -0400

On Oct 18, 2015, at 8:45 PM, Manfredi, Albert E
<albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Very simply this: US broadcasters, some of them anyway, could opt to grab
their take and go whole-hog Internet. Much like the article says.

The question of mobility becomes a no brainer. Once your signal is IP, it can
be provided over any IP medium. As long as cellcos offer wireless IP
broadband, and as long as 802.11 wireless hotspots exist, mobility is
assured. The broadcasters themselves can opt to operate ABOVE that link layer
and physical layer, as we already discussed. So these details do not need to
affect them at all. The various cabled and wireless broadband providers take
care of that last leg of the signal's journey.

There has never been any question about these capabilities. Stations are free
to offer content via websites and apps as long as they have the rights to offer
this content via the Internet.

Of course the broadcasters would have to obtain rights to send conglom stuff
on the Internet. On the other hand, we already know that the congloms are
interested in distributing their content on the Internet.

Yup. And to date that has not been an option. Only CBS has created an Internet
service that relies upon its O&O stations and affiliates to offer streams of
each stations content, and only in the markets they serve.

There is a basic disconnect here between the situation in the U.K. and the U.S.
- the former has a National TV service while we have a market based service.
And the U.K. broadcasters have the incentive to reach people over any medium to
increase their audience, while the U.S. networks and affiliates have the
incentive to maintain an OTA signal, but promote MVPD service in order to gain
the second revenue stream from retransmission consent.

Retransmission consent reduces the incentive to move broadcast content to the
Internet, UNLESS, the Internet service is subscriber based (i.e. paid), and the
content owners/stations receive a portion of those subscriber fees.

Regards
Craig


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