[opendtv] Re: Content Distribution Getting Cloudy (DECE UltraViolet)
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2010 07:26:42 -0400
At 3:22 PM -0500 9/22/10, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
> Channels offer linear programming;
No, you are confusing "live streaming" with "channels."
For example, I can watch France 24 as a live stream, either over the
Internet or over OTA Ch 30-7, in the DC market. OTA Channel 30-7 is
functionally no different from whatever b/s are dedicated to France
24 live stream over my ISP pipe. It's that simple. Both pipes are
agnostic as to content. Once upon a time, the OTA pipe would have
been a dedicated "channel."
Sorry Bert, but you are still confusing channels and pipes. Yes you
can deliver the equivalent of a linear channel over-the-top; as you
say, this is nothing more than streaming the same programs over the
Internet that you are streaming OTA, or via a cable/DBS network.
The key is that channels have SCHEDULES. Programs are offered in
specific time slots within the linear programming day (or portion of
a day for some networks. Most of the Over-the-top services are demand
based; you can stream the program when you want to watch it - NO
SCHEDULE.
I also agree with Dan about the whole branding concept. In many
respects branding is even more important for cable networks that for
the OTA channels. For example, you can be relatively confident that
programs on the Food Network are going to contain content that is
related to preparing and consuming FOOD.
The broadcast networks try to be all things to all people, offering a
variety of programs that appeal to different special interests and
demographics. This adds to the problem of retaining viewers as the
next program in the linear program schedule may or may not appeal to
the viewers of the previous program. And then there is just the crush
of things to do these days - it is far less common today to sit down
for three hours in the evening and veg on the TV.
Now sure, the Internet pipe may also have storage upstream, allowing
for non-live viewing. OTA and DBS pipes have the storage on your
premises instead. Again, functionally, it's not much different
anymore.
Rubbish. Yes, DVRs allow you to pull content from a channel and
consume it at another time; but this requires active "programmng" by
the viewer.
Systems such as that being offered by Comcast that store broadcast
programs in THEIR cloud servers, do allow for spontaneous, on demand
program choice, as is the normal model for most Over-the-top Internet
services. The only difference here is that one lives inside a walled
garden while the other is available to anyone. But even this is
getting "cloudy" as Comcast will stream over the Internet to the
mobile devices of their subscribers.
They generally do a large amount of cross promotion for other
programs that are available on THAT channel.
Not true. For example, the OTA pipe used by the CW network in DC
also provides ThisTV movie channel. The OTA pipe used by the Fox
network in Baltimore provides ThisTV movie channel in Baltimore.
TRUE BERT. As Dan said, this is all about branding and building on
your brand. Your example points to a different situation. CW is a
network, but only programs during prime time, and is only carried by
OTA broadcasters, who must fill in the rest of the linear programming
schedule. In the cases you cite ThisTV movie channel is syndicated
and can be run by any OTA broadcaster; and when they are running
ThisTV it is likely you will see promos for movies that are SCHEDULED
to run in the future.
In both cases, it is the owner of that small slice of spectrum that
decides what mix of content to transmit, exactly the sort of thing
DBS would do, and also exactly the sort of thing an "over the top"
Internet TV service would do.
NO. A broadcaster does decide what the linear program schedule will
be; they must license content to fill that SCHEDULE. DBS also may
offer content from different networks on a specific channel when
those networks do not program 24/7.
But this is nothing like Netflix or Apple TV or Hulu. These
Over-the-top services are all search based, allowing viewers to find
content they want and to view it on demand.
Frankly my dear Bert, viewers don't give a damn about the broadcast
networks anymore!
Is it just me? I find it humorous how many years you've been
repeating this, and yet they are still going strong. But the fact
is, that point is irrelevant. As we have already discussed, most of
the major TV networks don't own but very few of their own OTA
stations anyway. The pipes that do deliver that content OTA also
deliver content that is totally unrelated, and that is by design.
The broadcast networks are still going. How strong is debatable. They
have lost 60% of their prime time audience and more during other day
parts.
Ownership of stations is irrelevant to this discussion. It is a pipe
issue, not a channel or programming issue. What IS relevant to this
discussion is ownership of the content that they put into the linear
program schedule. More and more of the content delivered by the big
five broadcast networks is owned by those networks. This was NOT the
case for decades, when the FCC imposed FynSyn rules were in place;
these rules were intended to prevent the networks from wielding too
much power over the content creation industry. Those rules were
eliminated when it became obvious that competition has provided many
alternative PIPES that a content producer can use to reach viewers.
Regards
Craig
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