
The children are our future, and they’re not paying for TV - klous
http://gigaom.com/video/cord-nevers-dish/
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TheCapn
Disclaimer: I work for a IPTV provider currently although my job doesn't
relate to it directly... my past departments however saw me developing IPTV
applications and working to "enhance the viewer experience" so I feel I have a
good understanding of what this article is reaching for.

Essentially the problem is that people want TV... (A) Now. (B) As frequently
as they want and (C) at a low cost.

Its the issue that providers CAN'T offer all these things because of massive
hardware/delivery demands that it would require as well as the fun of dealing
with copyright and licensing issues from content providers (tl;dr - They suck
at negotiation because they essentially hold all the cards).

What IPTV providers are starting to realize is that they wont win the game
with Breaking Bad or Workaholics. Those things are provided over the top
regardless of whether they want it to be or not. The focus is towards "Live"
TV with an enhanced experience. When a viewer can watch the game live on their
TV with an app overlay providing realtime statistic updates for whichever
player the viewer has selected as their "favorite" the IPTV provider wins. You
can't get that online as easily. (Think fantasy league + TV)

TV is a losing game for many providers because they're playing the middle man
where its no longer needed. The providers need to provide a unique service
that the rival over-the-top content providers cannot in order to stay
relevant.

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jessriedel
> Ergen noted that a $7.99 subscription to Netflix might not be as attractive
> if the cost of broadband increases. If broadband goes up $20, that’s the
> equivalent of a $27.99 service, he argued, which is something streaming
> video providers can’t control.

This is silly. Everyone is going to have a broadband internet connection,
regardless of whether they get Netflix, Cable, or no TV.

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wccrawford
“One reason our premium business is down is… when someone can buy Netflix for
$7.99, do they really want to pay $14.99 for HBO? And so when people look at
their pocketbooks, obviously, every time somebody subscribes to Netflix, it’s
probably 1/2 of a customer that our industry loses from a premium
perspective,” Ergen said.

Those aren't even competing services. Every time someone signs up for cable,
they ask themselves, "Do I want to pay $14.99 for HBO?" It's an add-on for
cable, and it'd be an add-on for online viewing, too. IF they offered it, that
is. If they don't offer it, it's not the viewers' fault for not choosing it.

~~~
bunderbunder
They are competing services. You can really only watch one TV show at a time,
so HBO is necessarily in competition with every other thing you could be
watching right now.

Heck, HBO is also in competition with Call of Duty, Carcassonne, and
Canondale, to varying extents.

