TDG Opinions

May 2011 - Posts

• When It Comes to Sharing in New Entertainment Revenue, Glass is Last

  TDG’s newly released report, OTT TV Platforms, 2011 – Forecasts & Analysis, predicts that net-ready or “smart” TVs will rapidly become a primary platform for over-the-top (OTT) TV delivery. This forecast is seemingly great news for TV manufacturers who have long been living on razor thin margins. The idea that they their new platforms can enable new video services and applications means potentially lucrative recurring revenue sources. Sadly, much of that is an illusion. When it comes to sharing in new entertainment revenue, unfortunately glass is last.... Posted May 26 2011, 12:05 PM by Andy Tarczon with 7 comment(s) Filed under: OTT, CE devices, Netflix, Andy Tarczon, applications, smart TVs, connected TVs, acTVila, iSTBs, TV OEMs

• New Nielsen Data Fuels TV “Turning Point” Debate

  This week Nielsen released its 2012 Advance/Preliminary TV Household Universe Estimate, predicting that the number of TV households in the U.S. will decline from 115.9 million in 2011 to 114.7 million in 2012 (a loss of 1.2 million TV households, about 1%). For all intents and purposes, this means that the number of U.S. TV households will likely remain flat: a predicted decline of 1% could just as easily be an increase of 1% when the final data is tabulated. As a market researcher, I know how crazy it is to hang your hat on any predicted change of 1%, regardless of the direction. But that tidbit is far from the most interested part of Nielsen’s release—instead, it’s the explanation it offers for these trends that caught my attention. ... Posted May 06 2011, 10:55 AM by Michael Greeson with no comments Filed under: platforms, Michael Greeson, Nielsen, Cord Cutting, Declining TV Service, Turning Point

• Comcast, OTT, and VOD Advertising

  Last week, Comcast launched an expansion of its cable VOD service, adding over 20 primetime TV series from ABC and FOX. This makes Comcast the first Pay TV operator to offer current primetime shows free on demand from all four of the broadcast majors. By my count, Comcast VOD now features 51 broadcast network series (ABC - 6, CBS - 13, FOX - 15, NBC - 20). In itself, this service expansion is not necessarily that dramatic. For several years now, Comcast’s VOD service has featured a selection of primetime series from ABC, CBS, and NBC, and this is an extension of that offering. That said, what’s most interesting is the possible "why" of this announcement, and what it might mean for cable's ability to use VOD to compete with OTT services such as Netflix and Hulu.... Posted May 05 2011, 05:10 PM by Bill Niemeyer with no comments Filed under: Over-The-Top, Netflix, Comcast, HULU, PayTV, Bill Niemeyer, Video on Demand

• Musings from Light Reading Conference

  Yesterday, I talked about some of the interesting things I learned at the Seachange Multi-Screen conference in New York. Today, I’ll summarize a few of things I heard at the Light Reading “Cable Next-Gen Strategies” the day before at the Westin, Time Square.... Posted May 04 2011, 12:02 PM by Colin Dixon with no comments Filed under: OTT, Colin Dixon, Roku, Comcast, cable operators, a la carte, Boxee, ABR, Light Reading

• Comcast’s Musings on Multi-Screen at Seachange Summit

  I had the good fortune to participate in a couple of conference in New York last week. Today, I want to share with you a few things I learned at the Seachange International Summit entitled “Monetizing Multi-Screen Video.”... Posted May 03 2011, 12:14 PM by Colin Dixon with no comments Filed under: Colin Dixon, Comcast, cable operators, applications, PayTV operators, cable, Broadband, SeaChange International Summit, Vodaphone Group, bandwidth, webbox