Engadget

Verizon's CEO has a plan for wireless pay-TV, if the government will allow it

Richard Lawler — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:48:00 EST

Verizon CEO Lowell C. McAdam doesn't quite have all of those SpectrumCo AWS licenses in his pocket just yet, but if he does get them he has a decidedly old school idea of what to flood the airwaves with: TV. The Wall Street Journal quotes him saying Verizon and its new cable friends could have "the beginnings of an integrated offering" out by the holidays, so pay-TV customers could watch video on their mobile devices. Even though many of the TV services are already streaming video to tablets, PCs and phones, currently most subscription services are limited to the space of the home's WiFi network, unlike the video on-demand seen above. According to McAdam the potential to negotiate rights for outside the home streaming and even busting open the bundles for à la carte programming exist -- provided the FCC and DOJ allow Verizon to complete the proposed $3.9 billion purchase. Of course, consumption based billing would still be on the table, so don't start planning your streaming schedule just yet. For now we'll wait and see if the pros of this arrangement outweigh the cons (and how its Redbox play is mixed up in this), or if the pie-in-the-sky NowTV-style elements of the plan are merely being floated to get the deal done.

Verizon's CEO has a plan for wireless pay-TV, if the government will allow it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Comcast testing pay-per-package, still afraid of a-la-carte

Daniel Cooper — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:12:00 EST

Charleston, South Carolina might be famous for the eponymous knee / hand dance, but this week sees it become the second location in the US to get Comcast's MyTV Choice. Rather than buying all the channels, or paying á la carte for just the ones you watch, you pick a platform and then bolt on a package of channels, grouped by theme -- you get "Entertainment & Lifestyle," "Movies," "Kids" or "News & Info." These smaller, cheaper bundles are in response to being forced to carry channels owned by the same group, if you're paying for MTV, you're also paying for TV Land, for example. Still, those in the city (when not dancing their knee joints away) should be interested to know that the Get Started platform costs $25, Get Started Plus $45 and each additional package is $10.

Comcast testing pay-per-package, still afraid of a-la-carte originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some cable companies are pushing for unbundled channels -- but not for you

Richard Lawler — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:41:00 EST

Sick of paying for cable TV channels you don't watch? Reportedly some operators are looking for a way -- through negotiation or regulation -- to end channel bundling, where to get certain channels (like MTV) they're compelled to pack others (like TV Land) owned by the same company into their basic lineups. According to Reuters, smaller operators like Suddenlink and Mediacom are leading the charge, while even bigger companies like Comcast, Time Warner and DirecTV are feeling squeezed in retransmission fee disputes. However, as the LA Times points out, it's still doubtful you'll be able to pick and choose specific channels for a cheaper bill. What may be available however are cheaper packages of smaller bundles, like the lineup shown above that Comcast is testing in certain areas. What's stopping true a la carte programming choices? Hybrid cable and content companies, like Comcast with NBC Universal and Time Warner, and sports -- someone has to pay for that billion dollar ESPN Monday Night Football deal.

Some cable companies are pushing for unbundled channels -- but not for you originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NetTalk TV to deliver à la carte HD television programming?

Darren Murph — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 00:45:00 EST

NetTalk hasn't exactly made it easy for the world to believe in all of its claims, but things are just getting loco at this point. The NetTalk TV has been introduced here at CES, touted as a companion device to the Duo that provides ultra-low cost digital TV service. Reportedly, the bantam box offers HDMI / S-Video / composite outputs, Ethernet and WiFi, and it'll enable consumers to receive only the standard- and high-definition content that they want. According to the company, this allows individuals to detach themselves from the high-priced cable packages that force you to pay for 50 channels (when you only need three), but here's the kicker: there are no details whatsoever provided in the press release after the break. Not even a price. We're told to expect shipments in Q3 of this year, followed by undoubted disappointment as you begin to understand that it won't be NetTalk to finally convert the à la carte dream into reality.

Continue reading NetTalk TV to deliver à la carte HD television programming?

NetTalk TV to deliver à la carte HD television programming? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 00:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A la carte lawsuit against cable companies dismissed

Ben Drawbaugh — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:27:00 EST

Nothing shocking here as a judge has dismissed a lawsuit against cable companies for not offering cable channels a la carte. We always find this whole a la carte issue interesting because in reality customers aren't really asking for less channels as much as they're asking for lower prices. So while we're usually against new laws to regulate businesses, we do think that something should be done to reign in on all the tying that content providers do, as well as other restrictions. So what customers should really be doing is asking congress to prevent ESPN (for example) from holding back on the main offering in order to force programmers to carry the completely useless ESPNews or ESPN Classic. Or maybe, the entire you can't carry our channel unless its on the basic tier silliness. No, no, la carte channels aren't the answer, but real competition is.

[Via TechDirt]

Filed under: Industry, Cable, Fiber, Satellite

A la carte lawsuit against cable companies dismissed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is internet TV the key to � la carte?

Ben Drawbaugh — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST

There's been a lot of controversy over the years in regards to à la carte cable programming, and more recently, Hulu no longer playing nice with Boxee. The two are related to each other because in both cases, consumers think they'll lead to cheaper content. And let's be honest -- both seem appealing because we want to spend less money for the same content. The problem, of course, is that if we're spending less money, then someone is going to lose that revenue; and it goes without saying that any decent business model requires more revenue, not less. So those big corporations collecting all of those subscription fees are obviously going to have a problem with the idea. Now the conundrum comes in when you throw Netflix in the mix. Rather than nickel and diming you to death (much like your cable company), Netflix wants to give you an all-you-can-eat buffet for a monthly fee. The irony here is that while Hollywood loves subscriptions when it comes to cable TV, that's not so much the case when it comes to Netflix. The reason is simple -- we know you see this coming -- it's because the monthly fee is about three times that of a Netflix bill.

Continue reading Is internet TV the key to � la carte?

Filed under: Industry, Internet

Is internet TV the key to � la carte? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hong Kong's now TV offering Disney / ABC shows on HD VOD

Richard Lawler — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:49:00 EST

Last time we checked in with a la carte IPTV provider now TV, the Hong Kong service had just hit a half million subscribers -- three years later its adding content from Disney - ABC to the high definition video on-demand offerings. Lost, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Kyle XY episodes and more are available at the press of a button for a $7.70 / month (U.S.) subscription fee. The only question now is when one of the big providers Stateside will let us build our own channel lineup.

Filed under: ABC, Internet, New content

Hong Kong's now TV offering Disney / ABC shows on HD VOD originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Could a la carte mean fewer HDTV channels?

Ben Drawbaugh — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 10:31:00 EST

Recently minority groups have been complaining to the FCC 'cause they feel the a la carte initiative would hurt their programming. They're afraid that without the traditional subsidizing system that there would be less Spanish channels (for example). The same might be said for HDTV channels, and while it would be a short term problem, it might mean we have to wait for the rest of America to upgrade to HD. Technical complications aside, we think it would be nice to only buy the channels we want, but let's be honest, our motivation is money, we want to spend less of it. Most people don't care that there are tons of channels they don't watch, they just want to pay less. Obviously the MSOs are against us giving them less money, and thus against a la carte; but to their point, content providers force packages on them and they're just passing it on to us. We're not saying the MSOs need any charity, but fair is fair -- somehow we don't see the media giants coming along quietly.

Filed under: Cable, Fiber

Could a la carte mean fewer HDTV channels? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2007 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ins and Outs: Is buyshifting the future of television? (part 2)

Jeremy Toeman — Fri, 25 May 2007 14:47:00 EST

Jeremy Toeman contributes Ins and Outs, an opinion column on entertainment technology:

Last time on Ins and Outs we introduced the concept of buyshifting -- what it means, what it is, and where it's going. But now it's time to get down to the brass tacks. That's right, we're talking about whether it's viable for the average consumer -- more specifically, where it falls on the cost scale. The results might actually surprise you. So let's dig in, shall we?

For the "standard" HD+DVR package -- your kind of baseline TV-consuming experience -- the monthly bill for San Francisco's Comcast digital cable service is $78. If the average household watches 8 hours of programming per day (yes, it's true), that comes out to about $0.32 per hour. Comcast also charges $0.99 per episode through its VOD service. iTunes, of course, charges $1.99 per episode, or $34.99 per season ($1.59 per episode at an assumed 22 episodes per season). Buying the DVDs on Amazon ranges from about $25-$40 per season ($1.14 to $1.81 per episode).

Since your cable bill is fixed (well, not really, as the cable industry has managed to increase billing at a rate that exceeds inflation for the past 10 consecutive years - big surprise), it comes out to $936 annually. (Side note: for simplicity's sake we'll assume that your average satellite bill is comparable to cable.) So let's see the results on a per-year, per-month, and per-episode basis, assuming one season per year, 22 episodes per season per show.

Continue reading Ins and Outs: Is buyshifting the future of television? (part 2)

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Ins and Outs: Is buyshifting the future of television? (part 2) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2007 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ins and Outs: Is buyshifting the future of television? (part 1)

Jeremy Toeman — Fri, 04 May 2007 18:54:00 EST

This week we're also happy to announce another new column. Written by Jeremy Toeman, Ins and Outs picks up where The Clicker left off with insights and opinions on entertainment technology:

The advent of the VCR in the 70s first introduced the concept of timeshifting, which allowed the viewer to record programming, and thus shift their television viewing schedule away from broadcast dictates. But that was never the VCR's primary function, as manually programming recordings proved far too vexing for most home theater geeks. In the late 90s, another huge development in timeshifting came along: TiVo and other DVRs didn't just allow viewers watch their favorite shows on their schedule, they made it easy, and automatic. This, of course, forever changed the way millions watch television. In 2004 Sling Media (a company I used to work for) introduced the Slingbox, which lets people watch their television anywhere they please; this is now known as placeshifting.

Over the past few years, another trend has emerged, where viewers are buying TV shows on-demand and á la carte from digital resellers like iTunes, or on plain old DVDs. And these consumers are buying a lot of them. At the time of writing, seven of the top 25 DVDs on Amazon are TV shows, and one in five DVDs rented on Netflix is a TV show. Furthermore, many cable and satellite companies have teamed up with the networks to provide on-demand episodes available as early as the day following the original live broadcast -- that is, if their customers aren't among those who've bought over 50 million TV shows through iTunes. And with recent moves by major players such as CBS and NBC, as well as technology startups like Brightcove and Joost, it's clear that buying television episodes á la carte is no mere novelty -- nor is it going away. So perhaps it's time we gave this phenomena a name: buyshifting. We'll use that to refer to broadcast TV programming that you don't just watch -- you buy or rent. But where does buyshifting stand today? And is it really the future of television?

Continue reading Ins and Outs: Is buyshifting the future of television? (part 1)

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Ins and Outs: Is buyshifting the future of television? (part 1) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2007 18:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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