With Google, AT&T, Sony and an army of other companies gunning to take over the traditional pay TV business using the internet to deliver linear pay TV services, now might be a good time to ask a couple of basic questions. How are pay services from virtual MVPD providers (Sling TV, YouTube TV, Playstation Vue, […]
Archive | Cord cutters
Will the Cord Cutters Come Back?
The pay TV industry in the U.S. has been reeling under a brutal period of subscriber loss. Meanwhile, like sharks smelling chum, rival over-the-top video services continue to pop up. Disney is the latest example of the trend. The entertainment behemoth told investors in August that it will pull its movies from Netflix to start […]
Vizio Smart TV Shift: Are Google and Amazon in an App War?
This month, Vizio, the North American vendor of value-priced television lines sold heavily in warehouse clubs and discount store chains, amended its exclusive use of smart TVs based on the Chromecast platform as it expanded its selection of app partners beyond the Google ecosystem. The move not only lets Vizio customers access a more traditional […]
Roku Makes Big Advertising Leap
What do you think of when you hear the words, “hit TV series?” When it comes to linear TV, the meaning of that phrase is pretty concretely anchored in actual audience metrics. A “hit” series is one that the networks are reasonably sure many viewers are tuned into. Indeed, networks have a fairly strong handle […]
What Comcast Stream Tells Us About the Cable TV Industry
Since 2008, Comcast has seen its cable TV subscribers drop like flies—several million flies, give or take. Whether to IPTV and satellite rivals or to streaming alternatives (likely both), America’s largest cable provider has been emblematic of the challenges facing multi-service operators in the age of pay TV market saturation and disruptive competition. Indeed, the […]