Fancast seems to become Comcast's device to create an aggregator type portal for all web content. still, the bigger opportunity is in the potential to take Fancast to the next level. Build a successful site on the web and then offer to bring Fancast directly to the TV set. That to me is the big hook that Fancast can bring to these content providers, the extra hook to want and be accessed within Fancast. But this partnership is not without a cost, either a piece of the CPM revenue that hit generated or a percentage of the ad inventory as a window inside of Fancast.
Given the economic challenges facing the cable industry, cable companies need to find new revenue streams to appease their shareholders. The challenge for Comcast is to build enough brand interest and value in the Fancast name that it becomes the search choice of users. Second, create compelling deals with content owners with the added bonus of potential reach through the TV screen as well as the web.
The question to content owners becomes whether this opportunity is real and cheaper to do now while it is still unknown, or not to partner with Fancast and wait and see how this aggregator grows. Obviously, should it prove successful for Comcast in terms of reaching a large audience, the costs to come in later will also be higher. The way consumers will choose to access web based info, the competition among aggregators of like interests, and the merging of TV to the web is what keeps us up at night. Companies like Comcast are hard at work to maximize the value of their pipeline for cable, phone, information, entertainment, and other types of communication needs.
