Are Telcos Being Too Conservative With Their TV Plans?
from the seems-like-it dept
The story of telcos getting into the triple play business is nothing new. We noted a few years ago that the cable guys had the early lead, since it was much, much, much easier for them to just add VoIP to a TV/broadband bundle than for the telcos to figure out a way to add TV to a phone/broadband bundle. The telcos tried to take a shortcut by partnering with satellite TV providers, but that doesn't allow them to have a truly bundled solution, and takes away many of the advantages. So, now, with AT&T and Verizon pushing hard to upgrade to fiber and offer TV over it, the NY Times is taking a look at the challenges both companies face -- mainly in signing content deals. The thing that's most striking about the article, though, is how it looks like they're taking a typical broadcast view of things -- basically trying to just replicate what cable offers, perhaps with more channel choices. However, that seems silly. With fiber they have the opportunity to offer a completely different experience that the consumer can't get from cable. Why not offer a much more interactive experience, where the user could really "subscribe" to any shows they wanted, regardless of what channel its on? The channel is an outdated concept, and the telcos have the chance to prove that -- but it looks like they're not even trying. Of course, the obvious response is that it's the TV networks who won't allow this to happen, and maybe that's true, but the telcos should be pushing hard for this -- and the idea that they don't have enough clout to pull this off is laughable. They'll clearly be in a position to offer plenty of subscribers along with lots of advertising dollars.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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great idea... now just get the board to vote on it
Also, a show-based registration would shift the entertainment paradigm from a brodcaster controlled world to a production company-based one, and the Channel companies are not going to let that happen overnight.
And then there are legal instances... the FCC in the US and the CRTC in Canada, to name only 2, which have specific legislation regarding telecommunications. These bodies are even slower than corporate entities to shift around and adjust to a new reality...
Technolog is far ahead of all these instances, sadly.
but dont despair, IPTV (services such as the french Freebox -- www.freebox.fr -- , a truly integrated voice+broadband+tv over fiberoptics service) are bound to be introduced here within the next few years, if not months. Maybe then will a pay-per-show will be introduced.
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ant
Do not fold, spindle or mutilate
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No Subject Given
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Just to clarify, Verizon is doing fiber to the house. AT&T (SBC) is doing fiber to the node.
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It makes DSL and Cable completely obsolete. There is no comparison... of course it's only in limited area's and I happen to live in DC so I'm set.
Does anyone else have it? I'm the only person I know that has it.
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Companies and average consumers will want it gradu
Change is good, but drastic change will be restisted across the board.
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Re: Companies and average consumers will want it g
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What about TIVO?
I have created my own TV network with the help of my DVR and the On-Demand services for the pay channels. So everything this article expects the telcos to be doing, is already being done - by the consumers (like me).
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Re: What about TIVO?
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the channel concept is still useful
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Just say no
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