Facebook Most Popular Website

From today's Cynopsis: "Facebook surpassed Google as the most popular U.S. site for the week ending March 13 in terms of weekly share of visits, according to Hitwise, amassing 7.07% of all U.S. Visits. Facebook also reached the #1 ranking on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day as well as the weekend of March 6 and 7. Google trailed close behind last week with 7.03% of visits, followed by Yahoo Mail (3.8%) and Yahoo (3.67%)." And where is My Space? While Facebook grows, My Space falters.

More interest in social networking than searches! No wonder Google tried to enter the fray with Buzz. Has Facebook hit its stride or is it a temporary pinnacle and changing interests will find users getting bored with Facebook shortly and looking for the next thing.

Will Disney Spin Off ABC?

In a very interesting turn of events, Disney is saying that they would consider spinning off their broadcast and affiliate networks from their cable properties. All this as Comcast is trying to merge a broadcast network NBC with it's cable properties. "Chief Executive Bob Iger said on Wednesday that the top U.S. media company was keeping its options open for dealing with TV network ABC and its struggling news division, including a spin-off." Certainly this was said in a shareholder meeting and may simply indicate that all options (even remote ones) are available, it may not mean that it is actively being considered. Still to talk spin off amidst a FCC review of a possible merger indicates two different management strategies.

The final decision will be a financial one. If broadcast can build a stronger revenue base, and retransmission fees from cable companies are one such option, the long term outlook for broadcast may be too promising to spin off today. Should regulation emerge to protect the consumer from dropped broadcast services, these new fees, if any, may not be enough for Disney to keep ABC. The results of the NBC-Comcast merger may provide some clue for a possible Disney-ABC spin off.

Could Retrans Affect the Comcast-NBC Merger?

As the FCC and DOJ review the planned merger of NBC and Comcast, MSOs and others are seeking guidance on retrans rules. "According to a copy of a letter being sent to the House and Senate Commerce Committees from Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Dish, DirecTV, the American Cable Association and others, cable and satellite operators want the committees to take a new look at the Cable Act and retransmission consent in light of what they say is the current imbalance in favor of broadcasters and a "broken system" in need of repair... Also signing on to the letter were Charter, Insight, Mediacom, Suddenlink, Bright House Network, and OPASTCO, the small telco lobby."

So what is most interesting about this above quote. Not who is not included in this letter. Comcast is not taking part in this request. And it is because they do not want to further rock the boat. But a long shadow hangs over these merger proceedings precisely because of ABC and Cablevision, and in the next few months, ABC and Time Warner Cable. And how easy we forget that at midnight at the end of last year, Fox was ready to be pulled off of Time Warner Cable.

Technology and economics have changed the model of "free TV". Yet, every broadcast network owns cable nets too. For ABC, its sports is managed by ESPN; for NBC, its news comes from MSNBC. CBS spun off its Viacom properties but still owns College Sports Network and Showtime. Public interest though must still be considered if broadcast nets are also available over the air. Cable companies haven't built converter boxes to work effortlessly to switch from an antennae to cable. They built the mousetrap and we must figure out how to work with it or around it.

Google CEO: mobile computing reshaping Internet

The cellphone has changed computing! "Google's CEO says mobile smartphones are transforming the Internet" in so many ways. For both Google and Apple, the smartphone adds a convenience in exchange for a smaller screen. I've seen it firsthand. Need a railroad schedule, its at your fingertips; need directions or GPS, just tap a few keys. And do it without being tethered to a computer screen; rather, on a device that comes with you than you going to it.

Given its compact size, the smartphone becomes a must-have accessory 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And with that number of eyeballs comes subscription revenue and advertising opportunities. Convenience, portability, internet access, knowledge. The proliferation of apps simply helps to expand the value of the device.

And so I wonder if a tablet device, too small to replace a computer, to large to fit in a pocket, will become the next must-have device. Will men start carrying manbags for their tablet, comb, and wallet? Or will the smartphone be good enough to handle the computing and reading and viewing needs of the consumer? Or will we need both! Stay tuned.

TiVo Subscriber Losses Accelerate In 2009

I loved my Tivo! Yes past tense. As cable companies converted to all digital and scrambled each cable channel signal, my Tivo Series 2 lost its value. I thought about upgrading, especially since we had just put an HD set into the same room. But talking to the CSR at the cable company, getting a CableCARD seemed out of her vocabulary and I wasn't about to buy a Tivo till I knew they could support it. And finally, our household enjoys both DVR and VOD and I wasn't about to put both a cable DVR box and a Tivo box on the same HD TV. Hence my dilemma, my Sophie's Choice, so to speak.

But having used the cable DVR, I miss the functionality, convenience, ease, and other benefits of my Tivo. It is a superior product forced to work with its dysfunctional cousin. If only the two could play more effortlessly together. But it is that issue that primarily hurts consumers from putting a Tivo into a cable home.

One hope is that the release of their latest version solves that problem. "The company last week launched Premiere, TiVo's next generation of set-top boxes that have a 16:9 interface optimized for HD displays. RCN plans to release the TiVo Premiere as its primary DVR in the second quarter, with the ability to access content from broadband sources as well as VOD." And that is the key; to successfully market this product by simply work WITH the cable company. For Tivo, close those cable deals! Market in their newsletters, guides, triple play offers, and such. Run cross channel showing the ease of replacing a Tivo with the current box and that all functionality not only remains, but is improved. Gaining cable company partnerships and marketing alongside their messaging will grow the Tivo subscriber base!

ABC's Fight Doesn't End With Cablevision

ABC may have drawn its line in the sand when negotiating with Cablevision, but it's impact was also meant to be felt with Time Warner Cable. "Disney may repeat the maneuver if it can’t reach a deal with Time Warner Cable Inc. once their agreement ends in August, according to Wunderlich Securities LLC analyst Matthew Harrigan." And ABC isn't afraid to pull its programming off, even if a big event is possibly affected. Perhaps the notion that these problems aren't going away will be noted by the FCC before it reaches the next deadline. It is better to make changes in the direction before the gaping hole is too close to easily maneuver around. These issues need to be reconciled now by the FCC, both because of these kind of public concerns and because of the potential merger issues that an NBC Comcast combination could cause. The FCC needs to be proactive, not reactive.

ABC Cablevision Deal Struck Too Late

Approximately 13 minutes after the start of the Oscar telecast at 8:30pm ET, a crawl came across WABC that the deal with Cablevision was struck and that the signal was restored. Unfortunately for viewers, that announcement came almost three hours too late. Those that watch the awards show most likely made their plans prior to 6pm what they would do: buy an antenna, go to a friend's house, install a dish, or switch to FIOS. It is hard to imagine that Cablevision viewers were switching from their other show to WABC to see if it was back on. Can't see the Oscars; some may have left their home and gone to the movies to watch a nominated film or stayed home and rented one for the night.

And while publicly both sides will say that relationships between the two companies has returned to normal, I bet that lingering feelings remain. I would guess that one side will see it as a win-lose deal and will remember the next time. Interesting too that the FCC did not formally get involved.

And how does the repercussions of this deal affect the NBC Comcast merger plans? What happens when it is NBC's turn to negotiate with Cablevision, or FIOS? How can a deal be fairly struck when the potential NBC owner is another cable operator. I see that as a major problem, especially when it involves negotiations for a broadcast channel. And while that negotiation already occurs for cable networks, a broadcast network represents the majority of viewing across the country and should prescribe to different rules. Too much vertical ownership poses a major problem that the FCC must clearly address in the NBC Comcast merger discussion.

ABC Turned Off For Cablevision Viewers

I hope no Cablevision customer was surprised when they woke this morning to find WABC turned off. Cablevision has the leverage on access to viewers and ABC has the determination to lie down for their license fee. The result, no agreement, and ABC's only response to turn off the signal they provide to Cablevision. "Just after the stroke of midnight Sunday, 3 million Cablevision viewers in the New York area saw their televisions turn into pumpkins. At least that was the case for those subscribers' ABC channel, which went dark because of an impasse by the cable operator and broadcaster to resolve a feud over transmission fees."

The question is, who looks worse, or perhaps, does either company look better. Most likely it is a lose-lose situation; for ABC and the viewer, not Cablevision. Cablevision figures that a significant number of their customers won't drop the service; they will simply wait it out. That was the learning with the Scripps negotiation and is consistent for this current one.

Most likely, negotiations are on again today, but I personally doubt that the situation will change unless it is ABC that walks away from the edge and accepts less than what they may be asking for. It's Sunday so I doubt the FCC will do anything to push either to a quick resolution that results in a signal being turned back on. Likely, Cablevision has already given its best offer and has no intention of offering more. Who will blink first? At the end of the day, my bet is that ABC rolls over first. Whether it is today, before the Oscars begin, or after is up to ABC.

Will FCC Get Involved in Cablevision ABC Mess

It seems Senator John Kerry remains tired of these negotiations between broadcaster and cable company. "As Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, he just weighed in on Cablevision negotiations that could leave 3.1 million Cablevision customers without ABC's Oscars broadcast on Sunday. In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski Kerry urges Genachowski to push both parties to keep WABC on air during negotiations."

Is it now time for the FCC to have an opinion on all negotiations regarding broadcasters and cable companies? Should government get involved or let competition determine outcome. As there are other means to get these signals, the best advice for the consumer could just be to switch providers.