[opendtv] Re: Study Shows IPTV Gaining Ground

  • From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:13:34 -0400

At 4:32 PM -0500 10/18/10, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
Initially, I thought that "IPTV" was starting to mean any Internet-connected TV, these days. But then I got to this part:

"'It has been a long, challenging journey so far, especially with new competitors like Google TV joining the battle,' said Gray. 'Set makers will have to acquire new skills such as negotiating content deals in order to succeed.'"

As we have been discussing Bert, connecting to the Internet is the EASY part. Creating a user experience that rivals the MVPD oligopoly is the hard part, especially when they have highly desirable content franchises locked up.

I seriously doubt that the set makers are going to be players in this...

Maybe Sony.

The winners are going to be the companies that can do deals for the content that people want, then make that content available across the range of devices that the consumer will use in everyday life. The TV in the family room is just one of several screens that are important in the next chapter in the history of "TV."


It's obvious to me. Misuse a medium, and the solution becomes difficult. These guys are misusing the Internet. Simple as that. Google is trying to re-create the proprietary set-top box MVPD model for Internet appliances. And the worst part is, clueless consumers will let them get away with it.

There is no misuse of the Internet here. The abuse is the current medium of TV that is controlled by a handful of companies propped by politicians at all levels of government. Ultimately, the Internet is the technology that will disintermediate the stranglehold that these companies have over the content business. For the next few years nobody is going to solve this puzzle; at best Apple and Google may solve the issues with using the big screen to access video content, apps and the Internet in general.

Given the appetite that consumers have for some forms of TV content - especially live sports - it will literally take an act of Congress to bust up the MVPD oligopoly.

Regards
Craig


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