[opendtv] Re: Digital Trends: ESPN may pull its finger out of the Internet-TV dam, unleash a flood of change

  • From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 02:32:33 +0000

Craig Birkmaier wrote:

> There is an easy way to settle this argument Bert.
>
> Look at the ratings.
>
> Are the overall ratings for FOTA broadcasts higher or lower than they
> were before DTV.

That's only one possible measure, but even that wouldn't tell the whole story. 
EVEN IF, in the aggregate, FOTA did not gain eyeballs (which I believe it has, 
by a handful of percentage points), individual broadcasters may still have come 
out ahead compared to others, with their choice of program streams. Until the 
competition catches up, that is.

It's much the same effect as HDTV. Perhaps at first, the station that 
transmitted their local news in HD gained some market share for their content. 
Eventually, after everyone else made the transition, that advantage went away. 
But to the consumer, the end result was an across the board improvement of the 
species.

Same with cars. The manufacturer that first installs, I don't know, say ABS, 
gains some market share. Then everyone offers ABS, and that advantage is gone 
AS FAR AS THE MANUFACTURER IS CONCERNED. But the consumer wins out.

BTW, that article you posted on the TW/Comcast merger does make the point that 
broadband may in fact be the real eng game here.

Bert

 
 
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