Social Feed
http://www.forbes.com/2006/08/24/sling-media-qanda-cx_lh_0825sling.html?partner=yahootix
Sling Media made a big splash last year with the debut of Slingbox, a funny-looking device resembling a large, chunky candy bar still in its silver wrapping. Despite its toy-like appearance, Slingbox is a serious piece of hardware that can remotely connect a personal computer to a home television set via the Internet. This enables customers to watch live broadcast, cable or satellite TV, as well as programming stored on a digital video recorder, anywhere they can find a broadband connection.
In January, Sling Media closed on a $46.6 million round of financing led by Goldman Sachs (nyse: GS - news - people ), media and entertainment conglomerate Liberty Media (nasdaq: LINTA - news - people ) and EchoStar Communications (nasdaq: DISH - news - people ), the parent of Dish Network. And this week, Sling Media extended its business to the wireless market with the formal release of software that makes Slingbox compatible with third-generation (3G) handheld devices and cellphones equipped with Microsoft's (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) Windows Mobile operating system.
Helped by word of mouth and Sling Media's relationships with major big-box retailers, such as Best Buy (nyse: BBY - news - people ), Circuit City (nyse: CC - news - people ) and Wal-Mart Stores (nyse: WMT - news - people ), Slingbox unit sales to date total "well into the six figures," according to co-founder and Chief Executive Blake Krikorian.
As Slingbox expands its customer base, it could end up drawing some worried glances from big media players. Why? Because the device provides a simple way to deliver existing TV programming to PCs and wireless devices at a time when media giants such as Walt Disney Co. (nyse: DIS - news - people ), Time Warner (nyse: TWX - news - people ) and General Electric's (nyse: GE - news - people ) NBC Universal subsidiary are grappling with how to provide TV content to consumers online--and get paid for it.
In an interview, Krikorian discussed some of the challenges his company faces.
Forbes.com: Swedish satellite carrier Viasat and Brazilian cable TV company TVA recently began offering Slingbox to their customers. Do you expect to enter into similar partnerships with cable and satellite companies in the U.S.?
It's possible. I wouldn't necessarily say we've been seeking them, but we've certainly had a lot of discussions. When we first launched a year ago, everyone was like, "Whoa, what the heck does this thing mean? Oh my God, these guys are tearing apart the entire value chain!" As people have become more aware of how it works and what it means to them, the [cable and satellite] carriers see this as a great way to extend their current offerings.
Take something like cable with high-speed data and television services. What do those things have in common? Not a whole lot, other than that it's on a universal bill. [Slingbox] is finally one of those products that's a true convergence product. It starts to tie these services together. If one of these larger [cable and satellite] operators wants to deploy it, by all means, we will be there to enable them. We've had some very exciting discussions. But at the same time, we're not waiting around for it to happen.
You don't have any partnerships yet with U.S. wireless carriers, which have been launching their own video services. Given the large amount of bandwidth that video requires, how do you respond to concerns that the growing use of Slingbox via mobile devices could cause network congestion?
I would call that a high-class problem. They've built these 3G networks ... and what are the applications that people are going to use? E-mail? On a 2G phone, e-mail's pretty damn good. These various video clips? They're not resonating with the consumer. The fact that there has been some concern about what [Slingbox] is going to do to their networks--that's a pretty flattering thing.
If wireless carriers feel Slingbox poses a significant threat to the sale of their own wireless video offerings, couldn't they try to keep you off their networks?
That's a very interesting question. There's a question of legality of doing that, and then there's just practicality. I think they'd be absolutely nuts to do that, because there is a lot of competition [in the wireless market]. And you know what will happen: One guy does it and ... everyone goes to another carrier. And now with Wi-Max, the competition is going to be more challenging.
[The short video clips that wireless carriers offer] can make sense on these displays. Do we cannibalize that? Maybe. Could we maybe be the ones to help catalyze that? Yeah, I think so. If you are now able to let me watch familiar TV programming--like, for example, Entourage off HBO [through my Slingbox]--that's what I already understand because that's my experience back home. That's the perfect opportunity to tell me [about] the condensed version on my mobile phone. That's back to our desire to work with mobile operators. Do we need them? No. But if we were to tightly couple this, we should integrate this stuff.
The National Football League, Major League Baseball and other content providers have lucrative rights deals with cable systems and wireless carriers. Will Sling also need to pursue licensing agreements with content providers?
We don't think we need licensing or approval from any of the content owners. This is actually helping preserve and helping extend their existing proven business model. We are a "net add" from that perspective. We're increasing the number of displays they can reach me, as a consumer, around the house. We've added another ten to 12 hours a day that they can reach me in the office, where they never could reach me before. And even when I'm traveling outside the market, they're able to still build that relationship with me. This is helping in extending their business and maintaining their relevance. [Slingbox] is something that is so compelling, and there's lots at stake, and there's probably going to be challenges and disruptions. But more often than not, we're finding people open-minded and trying to understand, "How can we use this to our benefit?"
You generate virtually all of your revenue from Slingbox sales. You don't sell advertising, and you don't sell subscriptions to your service. Might this change in the future?
As you build a market, there come more opportunities for other ways to monetize and to provide better experiences to the consumer. [Advertising] is absolutely a potential one. Popping up banners all over the place? The marketplace will not like that. As a business model, there are a variety of ways to deploy those experiences and solutions. Maybe some consumers are like, "You know what? I love that--I love being able to buy the product at retail with no monthly fees." And we have other customers saying, "You know what? Why don't you just give me the box and charge me $10 a month?" There's no reason why we can't do that.
If you start selling advertising, content providers might demand a cut of the revenue.
Possibly. But I also think that to provide the best experience, it would make sense to work with them. They have their own ad sales teams too, right? I try to be really pragmatic. You can deliver great value to the consumer, but you can also find ways to engage with the rest of the industry, provided they have the proper attitude and desire to do so. And I think they do.
Sling Media made a big splash last year with the debut of Slingbox, a funny-looking device resembling a large, chunky candy bar still in its silver wrapping. Despite its toy-like appearance, Slingbox is a serious piece of hardware that can remotely connect a personal computer to a home television set via the Internet. This enables customers to watch live broadcast, cable or satellite TV, as well as programming stored on a digital video recorder, anywhere they can find a broadband connection.
In January, Sling Media closed on a $46.6 million round of financing led by Goldman Sachs (nyse: GS - news - people ), media and entertainment conglomerate Liberty Media (nasdaq: LINTA - news - people ) and EchoStar Communications (nasdaq: DISH - news - people ), the parent of Dish Network. And this week, Sling Media extended its business to the wireless market with the formal release of software that makes Slingbox compatible with third-generation (3G) handheld devices and cellphones equipped with Microsoft's (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) Windows Mobile operating system.
Helped by word of mouth and Sling Media's relationships with major big-box retailers, such as Best Buy (nyse: BBY - news - people ), Circuit City (nyse: CC - news - people ) and Wal-Mart Stores (nyse: WMT - news - people ), Slingbox unit sales to date total "well into the six figures," according to co-founder and Chief Executive Blake Krikorian.
As Slingbox expands its customer base, it could end up drawing some worried glances from big media players. Why? Because the device provides a simple way to deliver existing TV programming to PCs and wireless devices at a time when media giants such as Walt Disney Co. (nyse: DIS - news - people ), Time Warner (nyse: TWX - news - people ) and General Electric's (nyse: GE - news - people ) NBC Universal subsidiary are grappling with how to provide TV content to consumers online--and get paid for it.
In an interview, Krikorian discussed some of the challenges his company faces.
Forbes.com: Swedish satellite carrier Viasat and Brazilian cable TV company TVA recently began offering Slingbox to their customers. Do you expect to enter into similar partnerships with cable and satellite companies in the U.S.?
It's possible. I wouldn't necessarily say we've been seeking them, but we've certainly had a lot of discussions. When we first launched a year ago, everyone was like, "Whoa, what the heck does this thing mean? Oh my God, these guys are tearing apart the entire value chain!" As people have become more aware of how it works and what it means to them, the [cable and satellite] carriers see this as a great way to extend their current offerings.
Take something like cable with high-speed data and television services. What do those things have in common? Not a whole lot, other than that it's on a universal bill. [Slingbox] is finally one of those products that's a true convergence product. It starts to tie these services together. If one of these larger [cable and satellite] operators wants to deploy it, by all means, we will be there to enable them. We've had some very exciting discussions. But at the same time, we're not waiting around for it to happen.
You don't have any partnerships yet with U.S. wireless carriers, which have been launching their own video services. Given the large amount of bandwidth that video requires, how do you respond to concerns that the growing use of Slingbox via mobile devices could cause network congestion?
I would call that a high-class problem. They've built these 3G networks ... and what are the applications that people are going to use? E-mail? On a 2G phone, e-mail's pretty damn good. These various video clips? They're not resonating with the consumer. The fact that there has been some concern about what [Slingbox] is going to do to their networks--that's a pretty flattering thing.
If wireless carriers feel Slingbox poses a significant threat to the sale of their own wireless video offerings, couldn't they try to keep you off their networks?
That's a very interesting question. There's a question of legality of doing that, and then there's just practicality. I think they'd be absolutely nuts to do that, because there is a lot of competition [in the wireless market]. And you know what will happen: One guy does it and ... everyone goes to another carrier. And now with Wi-Max, the competition is going to be more challenging.
[The short video clips that wireless carriers offer] can make sense on these displays. Do we cannibalize that? Maybe. Could we maybe be the ones to help catalyze that? Yeah, I think so. If you are now able to let me watch familiar TV programming--like, for example, Entourage off HBO [through my Slingbox]--that's what I already understand because that's my experience back home. That's the perfect opportunity to tell me [about] the condensed version on my mobile phone. That's back to our desire to work with mobile operators. Do we need them? No. But if we were to tightly couple this, we should integrate this stuff.
The National Football League, Major League Baseball and other content providers have lucrative rights deals with cable systems and wireless carriers. Will Sling also need to pursue licensing agreements with content providers?
We don't think we need licensing or approval from any of the content owners. This is actually helping preserve and helping extend their existing proven business model. We are a "net add" from that perspective. We're increasing the number of displays they can reach me, as a consumer, around the house. We've added another ten to 12 hours a day that they can reach me in the office, where they never could reach me before. And even when I'm traveling outside the market, they're able to still build that relationship with me. This is helping in extending their business and maintaining their relevance. [Slingbox] is something that is so compelling, and there's lots at stake, and there's probably going to be challenges and disruptions. But more often than not, we're finding people open-minded and trying to understand, "How can we use this to our benefit?"
You generate virtually all of your revenue from Slingbox sales. You don't sell advertising, and you don't sell subscriptions to your service. Might this change in the future?
As you build a market, there come more opportunities for other ways to monetize and to provide better experiences to the consumer. [Advertising] is absolutely a potential one. Popping up banners all over the place? The marketplace will not like that. As a business model, there are a variety of ways to deploy those experiences and solutions. Maybe some consumers are like, "You know what? I love that--I love being able to buy the product at retail with no monthly fees." And we have other customers saying, "You know what? Why don't you just give me the box and charge me $10 a month?" There's no reason why we can't do that.
If you start selling advertising, content providers might demand a cut of the revenue.
Possibly. But I also think that to provide the best experience, it would make sense to work with them. They have their own ad sales teams too, right? I try to be really pragmatic. You can deliver great value to the consumer, but you can also find ways to engage with the rest of the industry, provided they have the proper attitude and desire to do so. And I think they do.
7 Replies
·
1784 views
I use mine all the time on my cell phone, although I rearely watch it on a computer or laptop. On the cellphone I can turn it on whereever. 
This is correct. Thats the way I have mine hooked up.
I do wish however that Dish supported IR on TV 2, it would make life easy for those of us with Slingboxes.
Thats the way I have mine hooked up.I do wish however that Dish supported IR on TV 2, it would make life easy for those of us with Slingboxes.
T
I've been wondering how I was going to distribute TV down to the cabin (once we build the main house) without yet more antennae, wiring, monthly fees etc. We will definitely have a wireless network connection between them, so a Slingbox may be the answer for our very low TV usage requirements at the cabin.
Thanks again - Talon Dancer
Thanks!Scott Greczkowski said:This is correct.
I've been wondering how I was going to distribute TV down to the cabin (once we build the main house) without yet more antennae, wiring, monthly fees etc. We will definitely have a wireless network connection between them, so a Slingbox may be the answer for our very low TV usage requirements at the cabin.
Thanks again - Talon Dancer
Supporting Founder
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
200 Replies
·
3788 views
Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
Comcast is the first to report, with a massive 274,000 loss in video subscribers.
In the 3Q of 2016, Comcast had 21.42 million video subscribers and was the #1 provider, now at 10.39 million and is the #3 Provider, YTTV is #2 ( who also surpassed DirecTV-8 Million and Dish-under 5 Million), Charter/Spectrum is #1.
cordcuttersnews.com
In the 3Q of 2016, Comcast had 21.42 million video subscribers and was the #1 provider, now at 10.39 million and is the #3 Provider, YTTV is #2 ( who also surpassed DirecTV-8 Million and Dish-under 5 Million), Charter/Spectrum is #1.
Comcast Just Lost 274,000 TV Customers & 144,000 Internet Customers In Just Three Months | Cord Cutters News
Comcast Corporation reported its third-quarter 2026 results on October 22, showing continued erosion in its domestic residential broadband internet and video customer bases as competitive pressures intensified across the connectivity market. The company recorded a net loss of 144,000 domestic...
cordcuttersnews.com
41 Replies
·
1327 views
Thats good, the neighborhood generally look better with buried plant ... until someone puts a shovel into the line planting the Spring Garden.
In my local area all underground utilities are under the sidewalk. Of course from there, when entering your property, They are at least 18" in your dirt.Thats good, the neighborhood generally look better with buried plant ... until someone puts a shovel into the line planting the Spring Garden.
B
My fiber isp put everything in conduit, except for the drop line to the NID and it it buried 10 inchesThats good, the neighborhood generally look better with buried plant ... until someone puts a shovel into the line planting the Spring Garden.
R
My area is very rocky, so there will be no shovels into the lines. Most of the lines were bored and the one's not bored where dug at least 18" deep. Cox had flagged my yard for them to dig up. But the foreman of the crew said he was not going to tear up my grass. He ended up installing the cable across the street at a vacant lot instead and bored the street for my pedestal. The line from the pedestal to my house could be damaged being it is fairly shallow.Thats good, the neighborhood generally look better with buried plant ... until someone puts a shovel into the line planting the Spring Garden.
Lon.TV
Time for another AWESOME video from Lon Seidman of LON.TV!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dViecB76yco
Direct YouTube Link - Broadcasters To Encrypt Emergency Messages with DRM..
The Official LON.TV Website
Lon on Facebook
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dViecB76yco
Direct YouTube Link - Broadcasters To Encrypt Emergency Messages with DRM..
The Official LON.TV Website
Lon on Facebook
0 Replies
·
13 views
Lifetime Supporter
Looks like dish is Bankrupt. Filling tomorrow Tuesday June 30th
466 Replies
·
16595 views
SpaceX boldly goes into 'huge' 5G network rollout with Qualcomm
After trying satellites and small cells, Elon Musk's SpaceX is to build a terrestrial mobile network across tens of thousands of sites with Qualcomm.
www.lightreading.com
Mr. Morris is no journalist. That article reads like a political hit job.SpaceX boldly goes into 'huge' 5G network rollout with Qualcomm
After trying satellites and small cells, Elon Musk's SpaceX is to build a terrestrial mobile network across tens of thousands of sites with Qualcomm.www.lightreading.com
Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
This thread is a place to discuss the 4K events that appear on channel 540. We are getting, at this point, one college football game a week. Let's hope there is more coming.
1937 Replies
·
302074 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68793 Replies
·
2688947 views
Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
I was reading this article
thehill.com
That said this-
Last summer, for the first time, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime claimed the largest share of the television viewing audience, surpassing both cable and broadcast TV. Streaming captured 34.8 percent of July viewers, according to Nielsen data, compared to 34.4 percent for cable and 21.6 percent for broadcast.
And then, sometime in the second half of 2022, cord-cutters became the majority. The share of cable and satellite television subscribers dipped to 48 percent, according to a report from Samba TV, a television technology company.
Now I do not consider those with YTTV and the likes, Cord Cutters, but they still do not have Traditional Cable/Satellite delivered Live TV, so I decided to do the math.
There are, now, 129 Million Households in the United States.
In 2015, there were 100 Million Cable/Sat Subscribers , no streaming Live TV Service.
Today, there are 66 Million Live TV subscribers, including Cable, Satellite and Streaming.
Roughly, Streaming Live TV has 14 Million subs including all of them.
So that means, Cable/Satellite now has, roughly, 51 Million Households
So in just 8 years, lost 49% of their subscribers and by the end of this year, expected sub count to be, roughly, 45 million households.
That means a total loss of 55% since 2015 at the end of 2023.
But out of 129 Million households, 45 million will mean only 35% will get Cable/Satellite Delivered Live TV by the end of 2023.
Imagine what 2024 will be like.
Cable TV ‘cord-cutters’ became the majority in 2022
The steady decline of cable and broadcast television, and the rise of streaming services, reached a sort of inflection point over the past year. Last summer, for the first time, streaming ser…
thehill.com
That said this-
Last summer, for the first time, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime claimed the largest share of the television viewing audience, surpassing both cable and broadcast TV. Streaming captured 34.8 percent of July viewers, according to Nielsen data, compared to 34.4 percent for cable and 21.6 percent for broadcast.
And then, sometime in the second half of 2022, cord-cutters became the majority. The share of cable and satellite television subscribers dipped to 48 percent, according to a report from Samba TV, a television technology company.
Now I do not consider those with YTTV and the likes, Cord Cutters, but they still do not have Traditional Cable/Satellite delivered Live TV, so I decided to do the math.
There are, now, 129 Million Households in the United States.
In 2015, there were 100 Million Cable/Sat Subscribers , no streaming Live TV Service.
Today, there are 66 Million Live TV subscribers, including Cable, Satellite and Streaming.
Roughly, Streaming Live TV has 14 Million subs including all of them.
So that means, Cable/Satellite now has, roughly, 51 Million Households
So in just 8 years, lost 49% of their subscribers and by the end of this year, expected sub count to be, roughly, 45 million households.
That means a total loss of 55% since 2015 at the end of 2023.
But out of 129 Million households, 45 million will mean only 35% will get Cable/Satellite Delivered Live TV by the end of 2023.
Imagine what 2024 will be like.
917 Replies
·
73258 views
Not Me, I rather enjoy it ...People are tired of watching the World Series without the Yankees.
I thought you might like that.
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Wireless Joey 4. Yesterday, I noticed a little green dot on a small black field in the upper right hand corner of the screen, regardless of channel, recordings, etc. A restart got rid of it, but I am curious as to what It meant and what I did to get it there.
5 Replies
·
154 views
Lifetime Supporter
Schedule drops tomorrow. Mandatory mini camps in June. Hall of Fame game August 6th.
139 Replies
·
3054 views
Mahomes is the biggest cry baby I have ever seen. He thinks he's privileged or something.
Y
Well you see him more because he is incredibly talented. And yes, typically players try to spin things being in their favor. This isn't cricket where sportsmanship (except in Australia) is expected.Mahomes is the biggest cry baby I have ever seen. He thinks he's privileged or something.
He wants to be BradyMahomes is the biggest cry baby I have ever seen. He thinks he's privileged or something.
Pub Member / Supporter
Cutting Edge
HBO Max and Paramount+ to Combine Into One Streaming Platform, Paramount Says HBO Brand Will 'Operate With Independence'
Paramount+ right now is at $13.99 for the ad-free with Showtime content and HBO MAX is now $22.99 for the 4K ad-free plan so together they are $36.98. By the time this goes through the approval process which I am sure will fly right through you would probably looking at $50 per month for the ad-free 4K plan combined.
Paramount+ right now is at $13.99 for the ad-free with Showtime content and HBO MAX is now $22.99 for the 4K ad-free plan so together they are $36.98. By the time this goes through the approval process which I am sure will fly right through you would probably looking at $50 per month for the ad-free 4K plan combined.
59 Replies
·
1678 views
There on no ad blockers on my TV. Some people prefer watching content on a TV.use an adblocker
There are ways to block ads for your TV and other devices on your home network if you are willing to put in the effort.There on no ad blockers on my TV. Some people prefer watching content on a TV.
DC Studios Shocker: James Gunn, Peter Safran Stepping Down with Marvel Alum Jeremy Latcham to Take Over
The duo were believed to be safe amid the Skydance takeover of Warner Bros., but now have a former Kevin Feige protege taking over their division.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
DC Shocker: James Gunn, Peter Safran Out as Co-Chairmen, Marvel Veteran Jeremy Latcham to Lead Comic Book Studio
James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-presidents of DC Studios, and they will be replaced by Jeremy Latcham.
variety.com
And it begins. Looking to trim $2 billion there will be a lot of people out of jobs.