[opendtv] Re: untruthfulness in DTV
- From: John Willkie <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 18:47:46 +0000 (GMT+00:00)
Tom, you are going to have to amend this recurring litany.
As of late January, CBS, Inc. was spun off from Viacom. CBS owns a network,
part of another (going forward, the CW), 40 TV stations, several hundred radio
stations, a billboard company, etc. Paramount, MTV networks, etc stayed with
Viacom, hence Viacom is a content and pipes busness.
CBS is a network, and CBS is clearly in the broadcasting, as opposed to the
content, business.
As for the other networks, it's not clear that WB is in the content business,
due to the small percentage of it's revenues that come from creating (as
opposed to reporting or redistributing) content. Although NBC Universal is a
content play, it's not clear that GE is in the content business due to it's
size and breadth.
Fox clearly is a content company, as is Disney.
Did you notice George Soros's recent content play? He bought the library of
Dreamworks after Paramount bought it at fire sale prices from Dreamworks.
There are two lessons there about content -- Dreamworks had it, but lacked
their own distribution. Soros seems to have something else in mind.
Not to mention the dissolution of the almost 60-year international distribution
partnership between Universal and Paramount. It was outside the U.S. only (to
avoid antitrust issues).
Many things are apparently happening in the content & distribution businesses,
and your plaints sound like you're still fighting the last war.
John Willkie
-----Original Message-----
>From: Tom Barry <trbarry@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Sent: Mar 24, 2006 2:45 PM
>To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [opendtv] Re: untruthfulness in DTV
>
>I can see how the networks might not care if this happened since they
>are probably more now in the content business than the broadcasting
>business. The effect might just be that more of their best content
>migrates to cable channels.
>
>But this process would seem to be very bad for the independent
>broadcasters and affiliates. If the better content goes to cable
>channels then they will have a hard time negotiating retrans consent
>with the cable companies and also may be squeezed negotiating affiliate
>agreements with the networks as the value of OTA relatively declines
>compared to other methods of delivery. I think they will be severely
>squeezed.
>
>- Tom
>
>Cliff Benham wrote:
>> One might say that appears to be the goal, to get rid of the free
>> service and replace it with two pay services.
>> Why give something away when there's apparently a lot of money to be made?
>>
>> Stephen W. Long wrote:
>>
>>
>>>When the digital cut over is completed, and the analog stations shut down,
>>>fewer people will be able to receive and WATCH free OTA TV than analog.
>>>People will vote with their feet, returning set-top boxes where the signals
>>>freeze right in the middle of the touchdown. People will switch to cable
>>>and satellite and free OTA will go bankrupt.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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