I love competition. Competition makes everyone work harder. Competition pushes innovation. And it keeps the economy humming. And hopefully, it keeps prices to the consumer at reasonable levels. As digital media becomes the product of the future, it pushes companies to reinvent themselves in this space.
Netflix has done it, converting from a mail house of DVDs to a streaming media mecca. And at the same time raised the competitive eyebrows of cable. But just as quickly as Netflix is chasing cable, Amazon may be chasing Netflix, based on a rumor circulating around. What is Amazon's true competitive play. The article also speculates a purchase if Redbox as well as distribution deals with premium providers.
And where does Apple want to be in this competitive arena. How does Apple TV partner or compete with this cord cutting rivals? "Netflix may be vulnerable, according to Michael Pachter, an analyst with WedBush Securities. 'It's a giant opportunity, and Amazon and Apple are the only two guys that have all the elements necessary to effectively compete: access to content, big balance sheets, good technology to deliver content, and some installed customer base they can easily market to.'" I couldn't agree more.
The free TV rumor about Amazon was swirling on Engadget over the weekend, but aside from the initial report, no one could seem to confirm it. And even the initial reporter said it had disappeared from his account, so it wasn't like a select group were getting continuous early access.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Amazon was making a planned slip-up, giving a blink-and-you-miss-it hint about that service, just to watch what happened.