[opendtv] Re: Apple, TV Networks Clash Over Size and Makeup of Web TV Bundle | Re/code

  • From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2015 02:48:32 +0000

Craig Birkmaier posted:

http://recode.net/2015/12/09/why-apple-walked-away-from-tv-for-now/

Obviously a news item Craig finds critical, but this is not very surprising.
Surprising would have been any other outcome. If Apple was merely trying to
emulate a walled garden's choices, but slimmed down, then why would the media
companies bite? They didn't. Wouldn't have made much sense to them. Verizon
already ran into this. So did Intel.

My first reaction was, again, Apple should consult with Dish, to see how it's
done. But then, the reason Sling TV worked was that it is Disney-heavy. I think
that Apple needs to take a hint from that.

Internet OTT sites are unwalled. Everyone has access to all of them. To appeal
to consumers, you need to offer something different from the legacy model
(read: slimmer). But to appeal to the content owners, you need to bundle a
bunch of their stuff, even the less interesting. Put these two together.

Seems to me, the best bet for a middleman is to focus on one conglom more than
the others. Make that conglom happy, while not being forced to offer something
overly bloated to the consumer. Then add other content on the periphery, from
owners who are happy to participate.

The *content owner* can create a skinny bundle of his stuff if he wants to.
Moonves did so with CBS All Access, sans middleman (except local broadcaster
for the linear feed). So did Dish with Sling TV, with Disney's conditional
blessing. But the *middleman* cannot decide to do this on his own, as Verizon
discovered.

IMO, with Internet distribution and net neutrality mandated, the only
"middleman" truly necessary to the conglom becomes the CDN. Intel, Apple, or
any other unaffiliated middlemen, have a tough row to hoe.

Bert



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