Thread: Uplink Activity 12/11/08 7:00 PM ET 19 changes Young GONE

I bet this won't help Young stock but I can imagine that Dish Network is also going to have an even larger net subscriber loss than what they have been as a result of this.



Yep, IPTV is the waive of the future, while those out in the boonies are back to basics, satellite.

Originally Posted by Bobby H

That's it entirely. More viewers = more ad revenue.

In any given local TV broadcast market you'll have a pretty significant number of people who can't receive a particular local TV channel very well at all over the air, or they just can't receive the signal at all period. Viewers often have to resort to cable or satellite in order to get the local TV station with a clear signal or any signal at all. If they don't get the channels that way they just won't be watching those channels at all. Lower viewer ratings.

I'd like to know how Young Broadcasting is computing that "1¢ per day" rate. Is that 1¢ for every Dish Network customer nationwide, or just 1¢ per day from E* subscribers in a local TV station's viewing market? I have a nasty feeling it's the former rather than the latter.

I'd really be interested into how many people in a DMA cannot receive their local stations ota. I had people complain about their analog signal on their antenna and they switched to cable or a sat provider. I ve gone over to theri house and checked out the analog and it was fine. Everywhere I have traveled I always take a portable tv and always get the big 4 networks. I do understand most people no longer have a rooftop antenna because they were ignorant and removed it from their house.

Originally Posted by long_time_DNC

Ala carte would be great, but it'll never happen with Dish, Directv or cable. They wouldn't make enough money to survive.

However, under present conditions, the internet doesn't have the bandwidth to handle millions of people streaming tv, movies (all in HD of course) and radio. Eventually, it'll get there, but I see that being at least 3-5 years off...

Fiber Optic Cable is the future.....Yes within the next ten years as Fiber networks expand, IPTV will become a force in the marketplace. Eventually satellite and cable tv will take a seat at the back of the bus.

Most people removed the antenna from their home because it was unsatisfactory to get 2, 3, or 4 channels OTA when they could get 30 or 40 via cable for a few dollars per month, including their locals, with generally (almost always) better signal quality.

The prohibition against imported locals was a serious setback for consumers, though understandable from the standpoint of the local TV stations who were getting their clock cleaned by better programming from local TV stations in nearby cities. The problems that ensued are the usual ones that emanate from a government mandated monopoly: the monopolists can treat their captive customers like dirt, and frequently do.

Regards,
Fitzie

In my particular case, I only watch the locals for news and sports and maybe a show here and there. So, when IPTV comes into it's own, that's likely where I'll be spending most of my time...depending on cost...

Originally Posted by dodge

I do understand most people no longer have a rooftop antenna because they were ignorant and removed it from their house.

Or maybe their new house just didn't come with it? Assuming things and calling people names is not productive.

The house I live in never had an antenna on it's roof. It was built in the 1980s and was wired for cable. I can attest to first hand experience with rabbit ears and an older TV here and it's a miserable experience. Lots of snow in the picture and having to move the antenna around to get a marginal picture each time you change the station is no picnic.

I will say that digital OTA is another matter. It works great most of the time with an indoor antenna. Sometimes to get the local NBC affiliate the indoor antenna has to be adjusted; but nothing bad enough to push me toward buying an outdoor antenna and installing it.

Originally Posted by dishcomm

Fiber Optic Cable is the future.....Yes within the next ten years as Fiber networks expand, IPTV will become a force in the marketplace. Eventually satellite and cable tv will take a seat at the back of the bus.

This could be true, but maybe not. Running fiber optic cable to all major cities will happen soon, but expanding to all locations will take several years, and during that time the satellite and cable providers will be improving their product also. Ultimately, it will probably be possible to have a small, self contained antenna (dish) built into all new homes that will be able to pick up all satellites in the sky and differentiate the signals automatically by subscription status.

The satellite will probably look like a small, multi-faceted 12 inch diameter globe with 2 to 3 inch concentrator panels for pickup. If the satellite companies are smart, they will standardize their signals so that "one globe fits all" will lead to easy multi-sat, multi-provider subscription with some of it a la carte. The connections from such a globe/antenna could be contained in a 1000 line fiber optic cable from the globe to the receiver(s) used by the customer or even to the electrical system of the house. By simply plugging your receiver into your wall socket, you could have immediate access to essentially all channels available in your sky.

The business model would be the major constraint to operationalizing this concept, with companies like Young wanting 30c per subscriber per month for retransmission of their government subsidized monopoly.

Regards,
Fitzie

Its not as if the government has gifted a monopoly to a random station to screw with you. Its simple copyright, stations pay the networks for exclusive rights to the network or syndicated programing for their area. No one is forcing content creators to license or sell their content to the broadcast networks. No one is forcing the networks to continue with the affiliate model.

Station have to negotiate a new contract with their networks every couple years, if a station is unreasonable with service providers they will have a hard time getting renewed if they are missing from systems. Usually there is an independent that would jump at the chance for a network affiliation. Back in the 90s one of the big 3 threatened to turn into a cable network when they couldn't get the deal they wanted from the big station groups.

Well if this means Dish will be saving money on one less contract with a company, does that mean that we can expect a price drop in February?? HAAAAA. Sarcasm of course. I don't care how many contracts Dish decides not to re-sign I'm betting on at least a $10 bump this year. Probably $15-20 for HD.