OTT

OTT Carriage Fees?

by Daniel Taylor on 25 May, 2011

If Connected TV platform vendors start asking for carriage fees from media companies, it’s up to service providers to decide whether they’re ready to keep paying up for content while embracing a vision for Pay TV that’s built around customer-purchased connected CE.

Netflix Steps Further Away From The DVD

by Daniel Taylor on 19 April, 2011

It’s the little things that mean a lot. Streaming audiences just don’t care which season and which disc of a TV show they’re watching. Netflix finally got rid of the vestiges of DVD meta-meta-data for streaming customers. Viewers no longer have to search for individual seasons — adding a show to the instant queue is all it takes to gain access to the entire run of a TV show.

OTT + Multiscreen = Check Your License

4 April 2011

Cablevision and Time Warner Cable have both introduced iPad applications, but the response from the media industry has been very different. To the average person (and sadly the lay-journalists, as well), an App is an App is an App. And video on an iPad is a good thing. Except when there’s nothing to watch. So why is there such a different reception for these two — seemingly identical — multiscreen video solutions? The answer is simple: Multiscreen over cable = OK. OTT + Multiscreen (not over cable) = Not Okay.

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The Multiscreen Double Standard

1 April 2011

We’re still trying to understand the logic through which a service provider can argue that Internet streaming TO A TABLET is something they’ve bought a license for. Next thing you know, they’ll argue that it’s okay to stream content over the Internet to any device in the home. Then will come the explanation that OTT Video audiences just aren’t paying the same amount for subscriptions…and that’s why the carriage fees have to diminish. Do they really think that media companies are that stupid?

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The Future: OTT Throttling

30 March 2011

Here’s a window into the future of OTT — bandwidth throttling and download/usage caps. Sure, we’ve been talking about this for…forever. But it’s getting closer to reality as announced earlier this week by Netflix in Canada: Netflix Lowers Data Usage By 2/3 For Members In Canada.

Even if this looks like the end of the world, it isn’t. For OTT, it means that there’s always a way. For Pay TV, it’s a sign that live sports will be a solid anchor for years to come.

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An OTT Content Mantra

29 March 2011

Repeat after me: Platforms and Geographies. Platforms and Geographies. Just because you have a license for cable…doesn’t mean that you have it for multiscreen. Here’s one of the key holdups for OTT, multiscreen and Internet video — the cost of content licensing for different platforms in different places.

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Thanks Netflix!

23 March 2011

Who you gonna call when Netflix goes out? All we can say to Netflix is “Thank You!” for making our jobs just that much easier. Because this is something that service providers need to know — that Netflix goes out now and then, and it’s just not the same as Pay TV. When it’s out, there’s absolutely nothing to watch, and there’s nobody to call. And, by the way, service providers who think they’re going to go Through The Middle and offer QoS for OTT video, here’s the type of stuff that you’re going to get into.

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OTT Failure: Netflix Outage…Again

22 March 2011

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this picture is worth several million. Netflix services are out. And. To add insult to injury. The site that Netflix recommends (www.netflix.com/tvhelp) is also out.

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The Saints and Soldiers Indicator

17 March 2011

When you look into your “top picks” list and see these two movies: Saints and Soldiers and The Boondock Saints II. That’s a sign that you’re reaching the end of the OTT content. And perhaps time to get cable for once and for all.

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