[opendtv] Re: Punching Above Its Weight, Upstart Netflix Pokes at HBO - NYTimes.com

  • From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 23:33:31 +0000

Craig Birkmaier wrote:

> Again, we agree in principle. But you disagree that they will use this
> power to protect the walled garden business model. You seem to think they
> will just let you access EVERYTHING from them via the Internet...

True, we do disagree that the congloms have any vested interest in retaining 
legacy solutions. For the 100th time at least, using the Internet DOES NOT MEAN 
that all of their content has to be ad-supported and "free," Craig. I don't 
understand why you can't get past that misconception. Hulu Plus is not free. 
Amazon Prime is not free. Netflix is not free. Any new portals devised now can 
be either free or by subscription.

The congloms use whatever middlemen and techniques make sense now, and not the 
middlemen and techniques that made sense with 1970s technology. The congloms 
have no reason for that level of nostalgia. All they want is to maximize their 
OWN revenues (and profits), not the revenues and profits of legacy distribution 
schemes.

> They believe, with some good evidence, that using the OTT portal for catch-up
> is driving viewers back to live TV when they have caught up.

If we're talking about their own portals, especially fox.com and abc.com, then 
they are either lying through their teeth, disingenuous, or uninformed.

In recent times, a couple of years for Fox and months for ABC, they have gone 
to an 8-day delayed model, on their own portals. The only logical conclusion I 
can come to is, Fox and ABC don't think these portals should be used for 
catch-up. You can hardly catch up to a broadcast schedule, if the portal delays 
you by 8 days. Do the math.

And like I said, CBS seems to have acknowledged that the broadcast schedule is 
not relevant to the IP portal for their content. 

> They also believe that authentication Is fundamental to the new TV everywhere
> business model they are advancing; pay once, view everywhere...

That's a no-brainer, right? You can do that today on any number of Internet 
portals.

Bert

 
 
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