[opendtv] Re: Consolidated replies
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 06:56:08 -0400
On Oct 12, 2014, at 8:08 PM, Manfredi, Albert E <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
>
> Craig Birkmaier wrote:
>
>> Sorry Bert, buy if you must pay for the content it is walled. It does
>> not matter how many sources there are yo BUY that program.
>
> Nonsense, and you should know that. An outlet that is a monopoly has a lot
> more latitude in the prices it can charge, than competing outlets that sell
> the same products. This is fundamental, Craig. Once again, the most obvious,
> first order reason would be markup. And there are more reasons why.
Bert. Think before you write. It is not a monopoly if there are competitors who
charge lower prices.
We are dealing with the content monopoly when it comes to the TV bundle; they
are not going to allow anyone to offer pieces of the bundle, because the
business model falls apart if they do.
And not all walled gardens are monopolies. You love to hate Apple, but The
iTunes Store is not a monopoly. You can buy or rent this content from multiple
sources and there are price differences in different stores.
But the TV bundle IS held together be the content oligopoly. The only price
competition is the subsidies they offer to get you to subscribe, which
eventually disappear after the come on. That being said, when the deal expires
you can threaten to leave and they will find another special deal to keep you
from cutting the cord.
>
>> You must still pay the oligopolies for access to the Internet
>
> You must pay the still monopolistic local MVPD/ISPs, yes, but not the
> congloms. That's why Title II may just have to be the way to go. We've
> already been over this.
We disagree. With Title II we will have another entrenched oligopoly that is
largely immune to market pressure. Bad idea.
>
>>> Internet distribution of TV allows this multiple supermarket model
>>> to work for TV too. The MVPD model DOES NOT.
>>
>> Not if every new service has to pay the same monthly subscriber fees
>> to offer the content, AND ONLY OFFER THEM IN A BUNDLE.
>
> Once again, Craig enjoys arguing in circles. We've been around this circle
> countless times, Craig. You will need to take it up directly with Bewkes,
> Skipper, and Moonves, to name just three. As I've indicated on MULTIPLE
> occasions, it is these content owners/rights holders who decide how their
> business models have to evolve, and they have ALREADY SPOKEN. Forget what the
> FCC mandates about giving access to content for those emulating the MVPD
> model. What matters is what the owners of content and rights holders want to
> do, no matter what Craig might prefer.
Yes Bert, they have spoken. They will extend the TV bundle to the Internet.
>
>>> But when Skipper talks about direct to consumer, when Bewkes talks
>>> about direct to consumer, when Moonves talks about direct to consumer,
>>> they all mean that they will offer ESPN, HBO, Viacom programming
>>> without a bunch of totally unrelated channels.
>>
>> NO THEY DO NOT. YOU are putting words in their mouths.
>
> Oh for pete's sake. Go back to the Forbes article I posted on Oct 8:
Stop putting word in their mouths and making meaningless comparisons.
>
> "Bewkes was talking about moving from selling HBO through cable and satellite
> companies **to a direct-to-consumer model**: 'The broadband-only opportunity
> up
> until now wasn't ... at the point where it would be smart to move the focus
> from one to the other.'"
> What do you think that means, Craig??
ONE MORE TIME. HBO IS NOT PART OF THE TV BUNDLE. It is a premium tier facing
real competition from Internet equivalents like Netflix.
>
> "Les Moonves, the head of CBS, was asked about **taking Showtime direct** and
> Deadline reported him saying this: 'Everybody in the media business is
> thinking about what is the most appropriate way to market your product ... Is
> there some time in the future when that could happen? Absolutely. I don't
> know when that is ... Over the next three to five years, the business will
> change dramatically.'"
Showtime is an HBO equivalent. It is not part of the TV bundle.
>
> What do you think that means, Craig?? What does "everyone in the media
> business" mean to you, Craig? What does "the business will change
> dramatically in the next three to five years" mean to you, Craig? Business as
> usual? In the TV Week article, Moonves went beyond JUST mentioning Showtime
> direct. Go back and try to retain these points.
It means that the Internet will largely replace facilities based TV
distribution systems for most of the pre-produced content we watch. It means
that it will be increasingly difficult to get people to make appointments to
watch this content. It means that the heavy cross promotion of programming on
the streaming channels will continue to lose effectiveness as people search for
pre-produced content they can watch on demand. It means that it will be more
difficult to sell ads in pre-produced content as viewers move to ad-free
subscription services.
It means that live events, especially sports, become even more important as the
glue that holds the bundle together. It means that live events will grow even
more important as vehicles for advertising.
>
>> So Bert, here is a bundle from Cox that includes ONLY local HD
>> channels Internet and both HBO, HBO Go and Starz.
>
> That's pretty funny, Craig, because even this new offering, to compete
> against Netflix, consists of a bundle. They even use that word. Amazing how
> you could have missed it. This includes HBO and Starz and it looks like other
> VOD content that is besides HBO and Starz. Plus, it may not even include all
> of the OTA offerings. They only mention the HD channels. Read again, to see
> what you must have missed:
Bundling is the Lingua Franca of the oligopolies.
Regards
Craig
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