TDG Opinions

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• À la carte Hits North America

  Bell TV, a PayTV provider in the Quebec province of Canada, just gave their customers a whole lot more flexibility with how they subscribe to TV channels. In a first for the North American continent, you can now subscribe to exactly the channels you want for $2 a channel. Given that the average person only watches 15 to 17 channels of the 300 or so they have access to, this is quite a deal. ... Posted Feb 12 2010, 06:09 PM by Colin Dixon with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: pay TV, Colin Dixon, content, service providers, content providers, a la carte, tiered content, PayTV, Bell TV

• Cord Cutting – The Threat May Be Larger Than You Think

  Some 120,000 of our fellow gadget enthusiasts just finished a long week in Las Vegas, having attended the annual CES circus. Among the hottest topics at this year’s conference was Over-the-Top video delivery and the concept of “cord cutting,” with particular emphasis on (a) how best to exploit OTT technologies to steal subscriber revenue from incumbent PayTV operators, and conversely (b) how incumbents can best fend off this threat. ... Posted Jan 16 2010, 04:22 PM by The Diffusion Group with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: pay TV, Over-The-Top, Michael Greeson, "TV Everywhere", "cord cutting"

• PayTV Operators Must Embrace Expanded Consumer Choice – That is, if They Hope to Avoid Becoming ‘Dumb Pipe’ Providers

  When TDG was first founded in 2004, the issue of a la carte versus pre-packaged PayTV subscription tiers was on fire, primarily due to fact that then-FCC Chairman, Kevin Martin, considered this to be a defining issue. ... Posted Apr 09 2009, 03:05 PM by Michael Greeson with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Internet video, pay TV, new media, Over-The-Top, Metering Bandwidth Usage, AT&T, Time Warner Cable, video delivery, Michael Greeson, content, Comcast, quantum media, HULU, cable operators, FCC, "cut the cord", a la carte, tiered content, channel bundles

• Project Canvas – Free-to-Air Savior or Internet Killer?

  What do you get when you cross broadcast television with the Internet? Is the joint offering like the Internet, open and unregulated, or like broadcast TV, strictly controlled and heavily regulated? I think there are many companies, governments and NGOs asking themselves this one. Well, if you live in the UK the answer could be a project code named Canvas. And by the looks of things, it will be the Internet that suffers! In two consultation documents released by the BBC last week, the picture that emerges of Project Canvas is both confusing and a little disturbing. ... Posted Mar 02 2009, 08:56 AM by Colin Dixon with | with no comments Filed under: Internet video, pay TV, platforms, next-generation video, Colin Dixon, video delivery, content, iPlayer, BBC, Interactive TV, service providers

• Netflix Posts Impressive Gains as Hollywood Withers – What’s Really Going on Here?

  Earlier this week, Walt Disney Co. reported a 32% drop in quarterly net income, a decline much worse than analyst expectations and due primarily to a huge decline in DVD sales. Why did this happen?... Posted Feb 05 2009, 08:43 AM by Michael Greeson with | with no comments Filed under: OTT, pay TV, Broadband Video, Netflix, Xbox, quantum media, Disney, DVD mail-order, CE, NBC

• Yes, PayTV Operators, Be Afraid - Be Very, Very Afraid!

  May 22, 2008 Four or five years ago, I attended a CTAM panel discussion on the digital transition featuring, among others, the SVP of technology for Comcast. During Q&A, I asked this gentleman what he and his company would do... More Posted May 22 2008, 06:45 PM by Colin Dixon with Filed under: set-top box, pay TV, interactive media, digital media, Colin Dixon, content, MSOs, Comcast

• Disney & Macrovision Could Help Get the Guide on the Map

  As those of you who have read my writings or heard me speak will attest, I have long maligned the PayTV industry for their failure to provide useful EPGs on their set-top boxes. Setting aside the issue of customer satisfaction for a moment, this continued reluctance to improve their EPGs is having a negative impact on the bottom line of every PayTV operator. As viewers struggle through the layers and layers of menus in VOD systems and the 500 channels of TV content using the ancient grid guide, they become less and less likely to purchase PPV or on-demand movies and events. Frankly, it's more convenient to order a movie from NetFlix and wait a day than it is to use today's EPGs to navigate TV content!... Posted Dec 11 2007, 09:59 AM by Colin Dixon with | with no comments Filed under: set-top box, Internet video, pay TV, program guides, EPGs, interactive media, Over-The-Top, next-generation video, Colin Dixon