[opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2016 02:26:33 +0000
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
Agreed that the creation of "spectrum" in a cable system allowed
for more channels. But where did this third party content come from?
Same place the new UHF stations were coming from, plus sources that could only
operate thanks to the enforced subscription fee, because they otherwise would
not have subsisted on actual viewer interest.
That's what I mean by anti-competitive. The legacy MVPD model is a bit like
taxation. You pay because you have to, not because you necessarily want the
products you're buying.
You can call it training if you like, but consumers have gladly
embraced paying for content they want.
And now they are un-embracing. It was most definitely training. Consumers had
to pay a fee, just because the system was so labor-intensive. That, plus the
fact that it was the only game in the neighborhood, trained people to keep
paying, just as they do for power and water. Once trained, no problem raising
the fees. Where else would the consumers go?
Now they have other options, I mean aside from just OTA, and we can see that
they are embracing those other options big time.
Thank you. It is still true today.
Except it's not true today. Once, for movies, you had to subscribe to cable.
Now, you don't. Same goes with sports and everything else. Much as you try to
convince people that your "the bundle" will never unravel, it already has. We
have already seen other ways of getting even your regional sports.
How many pounds of flesh did the broadcast networks deserve?
That's the wrong question. This is business. They "deserve" whatever the
lemmings are willing to give them.
What happened with Aereo, Craig? Can't you see the similarity? Aereo took in
subscriber fees. CONSEQUENTLY, the owners of the content, content that allowed
that business model to be at all viable, wanted a piece of the action. End of
story. Cable behaved the same way as Aereo. When it came to the content people
wanted most, cable thought they could get it for nothing. Well, think again.
Consumers demanded that content be on their cable, cable was charging monthly
fees, so figure it out.
I agree that customers "could" just say no and bring the
content owners to their knees.
Yes indeed, except you still point the wrong way. The content owners were
historically capable of offering their product ad-supported. There's no reason
to believe they can't continue to do so, or at least sell by subscription in a
competitive marketplace. The only issue here is the market-distorting
distribution medium, that took away the auto-regulating mechanism preventing
run-away greed from taking hold. That's the issue, not those producing content.
When market forces cannot operate, the only solution would be government
regulation.
If you can force people to *pay* for content, even when they don't
want it, why on earth would you not do so?
It is a nasty catch 22 situation. That's what happens when the
government protects and profits from their monopoly.
And again you point in the wrong direction. The government did not mandate the
laws of physics. Only so many cables could be laid in every neighborhood, and
it's as simple as that. Yes, the FCC could have set MVPD rates, as well as
maximum annual increase. They could have regulated MVPDs exactly the same as
they regulate your power utility. Maybe they should have, but now the point is
moot. The regulated-to-be-neutral Internet has made that MVPD issue OBE.
Bert
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Other related posts:
- » [opendtv] Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Ron Economos
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore - Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: Early UHF in DC and Baltimore- Craig Birkmaier