You could see this one coming a mile away... "Forget that the subscriber is already paying monthly fees for the same content delivered over the same wires. The web is a new medium and we expect to be paid AGAIN if you dare to make the content you have paid for available to the PC in the den." Regards Craig Not So Fast: Programmers Question TW's IPTV Trial July 20, 2005 12:00am Source: CableFAX As if programming contracts weren't complicated enough, Time Warner's launch of an IPTV trial in San Diego County has added a new wrinkle: Some programmers don't think MSOs have the right to launch their networks over the Web. In fact, several programmers who are on TW's expanded basic package in San Diego said they had no idea the MSO was giving 9K residents the ability to watch 75 expanded basic nets for free via the PC (Cfax, 7/14). Here's how: Time Warner says its "programming rights agreements govern a closed cable network," which applies to its IPTV network since it is closed and doesn't go out over the public Internet. In other words, the PC is just another TV outlet. "It's their interpretation, and it's incredibly presumptuous," one programmer told CableWORLD (check out John Ourand's column when it gets published July 25). Another flagged the story and had their legal dept looking into the matter. But not everyone was so quick to sound the alarm. TW has been hinting that IPTV is in the works in recent talks, some programmers said. "Unless our operations guy tells me there's a real [security] risk of breaking the closed network, we're OK with it," one exec said. "I do have a major concern about the advertising part of it," particularly how quickly a ratings measurement system would be put in place (ah... that sounds a bit like VOD, no?). Asked to comment about programmer concerns, Time Warner said, "We don't publicly discuss our programming contracts." When asked if the MSO had received any complaints from programmers, a spokesman said, "We don't discuss private conversations with programmers." [Copyright 2005 Access Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved.] <<CableFAX -- 07/20/05>> << Copyright ©2005 Access Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved. >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.