Satellite Radio Firms Don't Realize Mobile Phones Are Simply Pocket Computers
from the how-dare-you-make-our-product-more-valuable dept
There's been a recent obsession over mobile content, from both the mobile operators and content providers. For the most part, this obsession was due to the unsustainable success of the ringtone market. Mobile operators who were desperate for more revenue from each subscriber suddenly thought mobile content was their ticket to big money. Content companies scared silly by the internet looked at mobile phones as basically a better internet -- because it's closed. However, that makes one huge assumption: that it always remains closed -- something that anyone with a sense of tech trends should have realized wasn't going to last. Mobile phones are quickly becoming just small computers -- and will have access to anything that's available online. Trying to block off and charge extra for mobile content doesn't work, because users are smart enough to recognize that they can just access what they want.This issue is just now hitting the satellite radio business, apparently. As the satellite radio firms start desperately looking for new revenue streams, one area they've latched onto is the mobile channel. Both XM and Sirius say they have plans to offer a mobile offering (Sirius already has a small offering via Sprint which they expect to expand) -- which, no doubt, will involve some additional charge. There's just one (big) problem with that. Both offer up some of their content online -- and newer mobile phones have fairly open web access. With just a bit of tweaking, in fact, a few enterprising satellite radio fans have figured out how to listen to the streams via their Windows Mobile smartphones. This should be perfectly legal. They have a subscription, and they have a device that accesses the approved web stream -- but the satellite radio firms are having none of that and have sent out the lawyers to stop people from actually listening to the satellite feeds on their mobile phones. In many ways, this is reminiscent to a couple years back when XM got upset at people for writing software to make it easier to record XM. All of these actions seem like fair use ways of listening to content that the user has a legitimate subscription to. In fact, they make subscribing more valuable. Eventually people are going to realize that trying to get people to pay fifty different times for the same content isn't going to make your product appealing -- it's going to make people go elsewhere. In the meantime, though, expect to see the lawyers come out and the mobile operators talk about blocking such content -- and then wonder why no one wants to pay for it.
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.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Satellite Radio is a niche
The satellite guys are now stuck with a massive capex and marketing investment, and it turns out the marginal cost of using mobile data is a lot less.
If the best strategy of the sat radio players os a DJ that asks strippers on a daily basis what type of intercourse they like they are in trouble.
Once the blood in on the floor and these companies go through the typical cycle heavy cap ex innovators experience (ie they go broke at least once) I wouldn't be surprised if sat radio has commercials and is free... just like radio today!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Satellite Radio is a niche
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
All of the XL channels have to much advertising on them
to enjoy.Comedy channels repeat the same shows all day long "SAVE YOUR MONEY DONT GO TO THE SHOW"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: lack of online content
But i do agree with you dropping sirius.. I love my XM
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: channel availability
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
To Sea Man
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Part of me just hopes that I'm completely ignorant and wrong, and the direction things are heading in is for the best. But the cynic in me knows we're WAY off the path...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Trends...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Trends...
See http://www.tcpmp.org/ for more detail.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
between a rock and a hard place
The problem is, if all providers are trying to charge fifty times for the same content, where else do we go?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Freedom
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Freedom
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Freedom
Treo 650 I love it. Reason #53: Any audio you want as a ringtone.
My ringtone is a recording I made of myself saying, "Answer the telephone!"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Freedom
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Freedom
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:Freedom
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:Freedom
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sattelite Content
As far as listening to the content through my cell phone. I have a phone through Verizon. Their EVDO service is very limited in that I can only listen to it when I'm in the city where I work (Jacksonville, FL). Once I get to the weigh station 2 miles south of the Georgia Border, I lose all verizon coverage and about 6 miles down the road it comes back with 1x RTT coverage. Until the Cell Phone providers come out with better coverage, I can't see the Sattelite Radio companies having to worry about this.
The article mentions paying 50 times for the same content... I pay about $9.95/mo and I get unlimited internet streaming, my MyFi gets a signal everywhere I go (even without an external antenna), and unlike Tivo; I don't have to pay extra to record and play back the content. I can hear my content even when I'm not docked (except in the car). Through Directv I get about 30-40 XM channels that are great for listening to while cleaning the house, etc.
I could understand why cell providers would want to do something similar to the XM/Directv & Sirius/Dish Network setup. I just don't think that XM / Sirius should try to do something to prevent listening to the content through a cell phone if you are already subscribing to a service they provide. If I'm paying Verizon $70/mo for unlimited Data; Verizon shouldn't have any say either.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Satellite radio going broke
media.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
anuff?
You mean enough don't you. Research your dictionary
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Music, music, musiic
XM and Sirius are both just a waste of money. The way they're losing money, soon they'll be as commercial - laden and crappy as any Clear Channel content.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]