Digital Media Convergence News - Cable and Convergence
Story courtesy of http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/7909.asp
Cable, Convergence and Consumption
By Jeanne Rogers - January 27, 2006
Contributor Jeanne Rogers examines if new content distribution points will kill cable.
Video IPOD, PSP, mobile phones and the home computer are collectively making easier ways to distribute digital content to consumers as new distribution points. Not new news anymore…however, I wonder how this new distribution will affect, specifically, cable VOD and ITV. Will cable TV companies lose control, as predicted by many?
The Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas just ended, and media convergence was announced frequently and across multiple manufacturers, foretelling the future of what is to come. This led to some follow up with a few folks who have been leading the way of cable VOD content and ITV.
A consistent voice in this realm has been Navic Networks. Navic has been developing ITV formats for some time for both satellite and cable operators with success, particularly with Time Warner Oceanic (since 2002) and now several others including Charter Communications. HyperGate, their core offering that supports a suite of Navic interactive applications, is an efficacy data transport technology. This enables operators to move data two ways between the headend and millions of digital set top boxes.
The cable television headend is a master facility for receiving television signals for processing and distribution over a cable television system. The headend facility houses electronic equipment used to receive and re-transmit video over the local cable infrastructure. Source -- Wikipedia.
Consumption, quality of viewing, convergence
According to Chief Technology Officer and founder of Navic Networks, Chet Kanoija, "the quality of content is strategic to the nature of cable ITV and VOD." Kanoija adds that these "new formats fill gaps in consumption, but they are not the whole experience or the primary form of consumption." In fact, he goes on to say that, "it is the quality of a multi-channel operator that is the cornerstone of providing service."
What are your thoughts on convergence in formats? Kanoija says. "There is a separation in the description of content in that some is informational versus entertainment." He further states that, "For short content and information, these new distribution points are ok but are not for long-form entertainment." Lastly, Kanoijia predicts that operators will gain alliances and partnerships and participate through those efforts in the mobility of content.
So, you are an enthusiastic consumer and you have invested in a home theater system with a plasma, big screen or HDTV quality television set, and your investment surrounds getting content from everywhere you can. How do you feel about not being able to direct that content to your home investment? The answers are coming-- soon.
I spoke with Todd Stewart, corporate vice president of national advertising sales and development for Charter Communications, and fear not-- there is more quality viewing to come.
These newer distribution points, visually speaking, have less quality simply due to the small format for viewing and reduced resolution. That leads to the opportunity for convergence. "Convergence will be complementary", says Stewart. "If we consider how consumers spend their time, then content delivery will be a competition for their time. However, the user experience hasn't totally migrated to these venues."
Operators can compete, holding ground simply by the fact that they are a preferred distribution point, are internet providers in broadband service and simply have access to upscale high-speed and digital cable customers. In fact, Time Warner offers Road Runner, their high-speed internet connection with all the benefits of the America Online service, their sister company. We should expect more from global offerings and integration efforts with other cable products. Most of the top operators are media conglomerates and are already combining various media products for top brands. We should expect more strategic partnerships and acquisitions to take place to fill the gap in new media and bundled services, specifically in wireless.
Furthermore, expect gains in technology to increase operators and their ability to converge and expand on ITV and VOD service. Some of the key elements currently available and in the early stages of deployment in VOD include Charter Communications' 'I Channels,' which enable news, sports and weather to be distributed by a local zip code or neighborhood. These 'I Channels' ('I' for independent) will allow natural relevancy and interest to take the consumer through banner ads with the ability to link to an RFI (request for information), marketer micro-site or a VOD landing page for long-form product viewing.
If we consider the 'where and how' of television consumption for the majority of viewers, are these new distribution points that appealing? And is it about the commercial free viewing more than the place of choice for viewing? iMedia Connection's Editor-at-Large, Masha Geller, recently shared how most television consumers, or 62 percent of responders in a specific survey effort, expressed their preference to watch ads in on-demand programming, rather than pay the $1.99 charged by Apple, Google and others for commercial-free video content.
As always, cable operators' move slowly compared to fast pace changes in internet technology and network programmers who, I believe, see new distribution as an opportunity to create brand loyalty. This may be simply because their additions in technology tend to be very expensive and deployment is cumbersome. However, their advance media efforts, according to Charter's Stewart, "match their core strategy, relevancy and measured results in the ad space and quality of service in the entertainment space."
Jeanne Rogers is a contributing writer for iMedia Connection. She has spent 11 years in local cable advertising sales and marketing and, most recently, internet new media sales and marketing. She is the creator of a new business model for cable acquisition and retention services directly related to interactive television, building subscriber loyalty. She has been a Cable Advertising Bureau (CAB) finalist three times, most recently in 2004 with a CAB win in 2002.
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Lots more articles and reviews like this are at http://www.ipods-and-onlinevideo-reviews.com.
Chip Tarver
Cable, Convergence and Consumption
By Jeanne Rogers - January 27, 2006
Contributor Jeanne Rogers examines if new content distribution points will kill cable.
Video IPOD, PSP, mobile phones and the home computer are collectively making easier ways to distribute digital content to consumers as new distribution points. Not new news anymore…however, I wonder how this new distribution will affect, specifically, cable VOD and ITV. Will cable TV companies lose control, as predicted by many?
The Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas just ended, and media convergence was announced frequently and across multiple manufacturers, foretelling the future of what is to come. This led to some follow up with a few folks who have been leading the way of cable VOD content and ITV.
A consistent voice in this realm has been Navic Networks. Navic has been developing ITV formats for some time for both satellite and cable operators with success, particularly with Time Warner Oceanic (since 2002) and now several others including Charter Communications. HyperGate, their core offering that supports a suite of Navic interactive applications, is an efficacy data transport technology. This enables operators to move data two ways between the headend and millions of digital set top boxes.
The cable television headend is a master facility for receiving television signals for processing and distribution over a cable television system. The headend facility houses electronic equipment used to receive and re-transmit video over the local cable infrastructure. Source -- Wikipedia.
Consumption, quality of viewing, convergence
According to Chief Technology Officer and founder of Navic Networks, Chet Kanoija, "the quality of content is strategic to the nature of cable ITV and VOD." Kanoija adds that these "new formats fill gaps in consumption, but they are not the whole experience or the primary form of consumption." In fact, he goes on to say that, "it is the quality of a multi-channel operator that is the cornerstone of providing service."
What are your thoughts on convergence in formats? Kanoija says. "There is a separation in the description of content in that some is informational versus entertainment." He further states that, "For short content and information, these new distribution points are ok but are not for long-form entertainment." Lastly, Kanoijia predicts that operators will gain alliances and partnerships and participate through those efforts in the mobility of content.
So, you are an enthusiastic consumer and you have invested in a home theater system with a plasma, big screen or HDTV quality television set, and your investment surrounds getting content from everywhere you can. How do you feel about not being able to direct that content to your home investment? The answers are coming-- soon.
I spoke with Todd Stewart, corporate vice president of national advertising sales and development for Charter Communications, and fear not-- there is more quality viewing to come.
These newer distribution points, visually speaking, have less quality simply due to the small format for viewing and reduced resolution. That leads to the opportunity for convergence. "Convergence will be complementary", says Stewart. "If we consider how consumers spend their time, then content delivery will be a competition for their time. However, the user experience hasn't totally migrated to these venues."
Operators can compete, holding ground simply by the fact that they are a preferred distribution point, are internet providers in broadband service and simply have access to upscale high-speed and digital cable customers. In fact, Time Warner offers Road Runner, their high-speed internet connection with all the benefits of the America Online service, their sister company. We should expect more from global offerings and integration efforts with other cable products. Most of the top operators are media conglomerates and are already combining various media products for top brands. We should expect more strategic partnerships and acquisitions to take place to fill the gap in new media and bundled services, specifically in wireless.
Furthermore, expect gains in technology to increase operators and their ability to converge and expand on ITV and VOD service. Some of the key elements currently available and in the early stages of deployment in VOD include Charter Communications' 'I Channels,' which enable news, sports and weather to be distributed by a local zip code or neighborhood. These 'I Channels' ('I' for independent) will allow natural relevancy and interest to take the consumer through banner ads with the ability to link to an RFI (request for information), marketer micro-site or a VOD landing page for long-form product viewing.
If we consider the 'where and how' of television consumption for the majority of viewers, are these new distribution points that appealing? And is it about the commercial free viewing more than the place of choice for viewing? iMedia Connection's Editor-at-Large, Masha Geller, recently shared how most television consumers, or 62 percent of responders in a specific survey effort, expressed their preference to watch ads in on-demand programming, rather than pay the $1.99 charged by Apple, Google and others for commercial-free video content.
As always, cable operators' move slowly compared to fast pace changes in internet technology and network programmers who, I believe, see new distribution as an opportunity to create brand loyalty. This may be simply because their additions in technology tend to be very expensive and deployment is cumbersome. However, their advance media efforts, according to Charter's Stewart, "match their core strategy, relevancy and measured results in the ad space and quality of service in the entertainment space."
Jeanne Rogers is a contributing writer for iMedia Connection. She has spent 11 years in local cable advertising sales and marketing and, most recently, internet new media sales and marketing. She is the creator of a new business model for cable acquisition and retention services directly related to interactive television, building subscriber loyalty. She has been a Cable Advertising Bureau (CAB) finalist three times, most recently in 2004 with a CAB win in 2002.
-----
Lots more articles and reviews like this are at http://www.ipods-and-onlinevideo-reviews.com.
Chip Tarver
posted by Chip Tarver at
8:19 PM
