[opendtv] Re: Broadcasters Lobby FCC for Cross-Ownership and Duopolies

  • From: Tom Barry <trbarry@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:45:33 -0400

Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
> Tom Barry wrote:
>
>   
>> Cable companies can offer TV entertainment as part of a double or
>> triple play package at costs only incremental to the base broadband
>> package.  I see very little way to competitively sell TV-only
>> services in that world.  Obviously broadband is not cheap now but
>> that is due to monopoly issues, not real cost of delivering it.
>>
>> DBS will exist at sufferance of cable (or other fiber) monopolies
>> and be for the folks that can't get cable.  And maybe for the very
>> few that don't need or want broadband for some reason.
>>     
>
> I agree that TECHNICALLY, it would seem that broadband could replace all 
> other forms of TV distribution methods, especially for fixed use. But you saw 
> the piece on how Five was pulling out of Project Canvas, right? That's the 
> problem. We have the same problem here in the US, with respect to TV over 
> Internet. It's always in a state of flux. As of now, you can't trust it. A 
> show is available today, and next month it's missing. As long as cable does 
> something unique for the TV program distribution part of its package, which 
> it has to do to keep the content owners happy, I think there's going to be 
> room for other TV distribution media that content owners seem to trust.
>   
Bert -

Possibly I was misunderstood here slightly.  I am NOT saying cable
particularly wants to do TV over the Internet.  I am saying that as a
side benefit of running massive broadband plants they will have extra
bandwidth to provide proprietary cable TV channels more cheaply (to
them), and bundle it in packages that the sat guys cannot match.  

But I think the cable guys will provide content over the Internet only
grudgingly as they like their walled gardens they already have.  For the
most part if they do video over IP it will still NOT be "over the
Internet".  Internet stuff cannot provide the security needed to easily
and cheaply get rights to prime content compared to using (expensive,
annoying) set top boxes.  Proprietary STB's with two way interactive
crypto especially allow content protection in ways not easy on the Internet.

- Tom


 
 
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