AT T and Verizon Bring TiVo To Your Phone

I'm always wondering why and sometimes why not. Opportunities to enhance the usage of tv intrigue me. I'm still waiting for the social networking sites to become linear and on-demand. Heck TMZ is creating a tv show. So when I saw the above headline tying in TIVO with Verizon Fios and AT&T U-Verse, I wonder where is the Comcast announcement. Comcast has been working with TIVO for a couple years to brings its software into the Comcast DVR experience. And yet, no TIVO, no mobility, nothing. Are the telephone companies more aggressive marketing behavior, the kinds of moves that will encourage consumers to switch cable providers? The race may be getting tighter. Speculation remains that Cablevision on Long Island is nervous about the Verizon push. My only advice to all the players, at the end of the day, don't forget about service. Over deliver to your customer - faster response to calls, faster service calls, faster resolution of problems, rewards and smiles. Neighbors talk!

X Buys Y/Time Warner exiting cable?

That headline continues to be the mantra in the digital world and I wonder is another bubble bursting. So many news stories with the same 3 words with the most recent being Google Buys Doubleclick. How big is big and will they topple or will the FCC be forced to put a stop to it like the split up of AT&T.




Now the story is that Time Warner is willing to spin off its cable systems to buy an internet company. So now I ask which statement is true "Content is King" or "The Pipeline is King". Does it mean that the infrastructure is less important to the future business. Perhaps so, taking a look at what happened to the telephone company and how traditional phone service is treated like a commodity. Hard to differentiate which is better for telephone reception - copper or IP or even cellular. Some homes now don't even have a hard line in their home and use their cell phone exclusively.

Wasn't it less than a year ago that Time Warner wanted to sell AOL; now they may want to strengthen AOL and buy Yahoo and others to add to their empire. Now AOL and their content partners may be the future.

So what does the consumer want. How many different platforms need to house the Time Warner (or NBC or ABC, etc) content for the consumer to find it. How many different sites must we surf to find the stuff we want to read, listen to, and watch. Perhaps we need to customize our own site with windows inside windows to place the channels we want; we simply click to enlarge or click a PIP to see a few larger windows at a time. Frankly, I only need one place to find each content producer's material - I'll copy and embed your channel into my web page. Cuz right now, my favorites/bookmark needs a bookmark!

Blades of Glory

2nd week in a row! And it trounced Grindhouse.

clipped from www.imdb.com

The Masters

I'm excited, the first golf major of the season starts today. The pressure is on both Tiger and Phil. Tiger can take it, not so sure about Phil.

Live sports, the perfect opportunity to utilize all the technology available to us: USA Network/CBS for coverage as they want to describe it to you, broadband, with scoreboard updates and video of certain holes including Amen Corner, mobile to keep us updated while we rush to get home to get more news on our favorite players. There is radio to hear the coverage, interactive features online, and who knows how many blogs and analysis with predictions on who will win.

Perhaps one day, the Masters organization will offer subscription coverage allowing you to watch the golfer you choose or simply stick with one hole and you pick the angle at the moment. Perhaps it will be free because their exclusive sponsors, Cadillac and IBM, allow it as long as their ad sits alongside the action. Soon, the front row seat may truly be at our monitor or TV set.

Cables Hottest Show

Just thought this was too cool

NY:MIEG seminar

I had the good fortune to listen to this morning's NYMIEG panel entitled Baseball 2007: Using Media & Technology to Enhance the Fan Experience. A well organized breakfast networking event with interesting panelists from Sports Illustrated Digital Media, Yes Network, ANC Sports, Major League Baseball, and Chyron Corporation.

First I was initially amazed at the huge size of the attendance, but as the demands for technology grows, how could this audience not be large. And content, especially live sports, is king. And with MLB, their belief is with the variety of technology available (broadcast, cable, on-demand, radio, satellite radio, slingbox, direct tv, internet, mobile), the consumer can pick what they want to see (games, highlights, stats), when they want to see it, and where.

I left the seminar excited by the future but also concerned how a company in this space makes money. In Sports Illustrated's case, does the website cannibalize revenue from the print magazine, or is it necessary to maintain their existence. They tried once in the cable network space with CNNSI and that failed miserably.

A well-run morning program, I'm looking forward to NYMIEG's next panel discussion.

When will Apple buy Tivo

I have a dream, that the remote for my cable box looks like an ipod. That it understands my viewing interests and makes it oh so easy to find what I want and record it for me. I guess, in other words, I'm looking for the marriage of Apple and Tivo. Apple creates great looking products that easily connect and load and presents in few key strokes. Tivo has made recording shows effortless and easy and understands consumer behavior. Together, they represent the perfect match of pc and tv, design and function. My cable remote sucks, my Tivo remote is better, but put the minds of Apple at work to design the easiest remote for this use and add the upload capabilities that Apple excels at and voila! I have a dream.

Apple TV Device

As a first generation device, the Apple TV box is certainly a great first step to connect web content to the tv. According to the WSJ, it was easy to install and use, working effortlessly to move photos, music, and video from the pc and the web to the tv. I can't wait to get one.

As a tivo fanatic, I only wish Apple would partner with Tivo to build the next gen box to capture more tv content and allow me to move it to any tv in my house. What fun to decide that the show I recorded in one room can be sent to my pc in another or vice versa.

Still, this is a giant leap in effortlessly combining two devices together, the tv and pc;

What is the ideal length of video content on the web

How much time do you have? Willing to watch an hour and a half documentary on global warming or do you just have a minute to catch the hottest uploaded video? Today, tv on the internet comes in many flavors and in many lengths. So I wonder how much time people are willing to invest on a show on the web. And I wonder if the ability to easily move that content from pc to another device affects how long you are willing to watch. Video content in all lengths and forms are everywhere and continue to be added at an amazing rate; still, how do you find what you want when you want. The thing about linear tv is they told you what you were going to watch and when; you changed the channel if you didn't want to watch. Now your program, your channel, your time is up to you, you only have to know WHERE to find it. Good luck.