An Ignoble Experiment

> ePMP - Connect the Unconnected - Wednesday, October 30th, 11 AM ET/ 8 AM PT
> WebRTC - Don't forget the Network - Thursday, October 31st, 11 am ET / 8 am PT

Recent reports suggest cable operators are considering building their own version of Aereo--or potentially partnering with Aereo itself. The thinking, expressed by cable industry veteran and investor Leo Hindery, goes something like this: If Aereo can carry local TV stations without paying for the privilege, can't cable operators do it too?

The answer is, well, sure. But not without spending a significant amount of cash and maybe even more good will with the industry's programming suppliers. For cable operators to make the most of Aereo's technology and eliminate the fees it pays to broadcasters entirely, they would have to spend money in a few key areas.

First, they would have to build a system of antennas and DVRs--one for every household--to enjoy the same legal standing Aereo has argued it is entitled to under copyright law. Aereo has had the luxury of starting small and strategically planning its expansion, yet the cost of building and operating that kind of system is already proving expensive.

Aereo hasn't revealed how many subscribers it has. But this week the Wall Street Journal estimated Aereo has between 95,000 and 135,000 subscribers in New York alone. And it reportedly draws enough electricity there to yield a roughly $2 million annual electricity bill. That means it's paying roughly $15 a year to the power company for every subscriber...continued

Read the full column on the Web

Webinars

Events

> BroadbandTVCon Hollywood - Nov 5th- 6th - Hollywood, CA

Marketplace

> Whitepaper: ASSIA Smart Vectoring White Paper
> Whitepaper: OTA Updating Simplified - Using SaaS to Update Android Devices
> Whitepaper: The 3 Ps - The Benefits of Integrating Yume's SDK for App Developers
> eBook: eBrief | Next-Gen Program Guides
> eBook: Transitioning to 100G and Beyond: The Big Picture
> Whitepaper: Your Guide to iOS 7
> Whitepaper: Next-generation Network Security
> Whitepaper: End-to-End Service Management for Unified Communications
> Survey: Help Shape the next generation of Android Apps
> Whitepaper: Customer Experience for Service
> Whitepaper: 5 Things to Look for in a Video Management Solution
> Whitepaper: How to Transform Your Mobile Customer Care Strategy

Jobs

> Account Manager (Sales Executive) - Florham Park, NJ - PCS Wireless
> RF Engineer III – Shentel – Etters, PA
> Residential Sales Account Executive – Cablevision – Piscataway Tinton Falls, Newark
> Need a job? Need to hire? Visit FierceWirelessJobs

Today's Top Stories

1. Amazon streaming video box reportedly delayed

By Josh Wein

Comment |

First it was Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), now it's Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN). According to multiple reports, the e-commerce giant's rumored plans to introduce an online video set-top box have been pushed back to next year.

Last week The Verge cited "sources" and reported that the box, which would run a version of Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android operating system similar to Fire OS, had been delayed past a targeted introduction date of this fall. Then "industry sources" told AllThingsD that Amazon is now looking to launch the device in 2014 instead.

Amazon has yet to admit that it's actually planning such a device, but the company has reportedly discussed a potential partnership with Intel. Whether those discussions move forward or have anything to do with the reported delays for Amazon's box is unknown.

For more:
- The Verge had this report
- AllThingsD had this report

2. Aereo reportedly talking to ISPs

By Josh Wein

Comment |

Aereo, the online video service being sued all over the country by TV station owners for allegedly violating their copyrights, is reportedly in talks with some Internet service providers' (ISPs) networks as it seeks to grow.

Aereo would offer a "wholesale discount" to ISPs which package Aereo with their wireless or wireline broadband service, CEO Chet Kanojia told the Wall Street Journal.

Kanojia's comments followed a report in Bloomberg that pay-TV distributors such as Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and Charter Communications (Nasdaq: CHTR) are considering using a similar technology to avoid paying retransmission consent fees to broadcasters.

Cable investor Leo Hindery, a managing partner at InterMedia Partners, told Bloomberg that it is "intellectually and legally inconsistent" to force traditional pay-TV distributors to pay TV stations for the right to carry their signals but allow another to sell them online without paying such fees. "The cable companies are fully entitled to do everything in their power to stop this travesty," he told Bloomberg.

For more:
- the Wall Street Journal had this report (sub. req.)
- Bloomberg had this report

3. Netflix's Sarandos upsets theater owners with same-day streaming pitch

By Josh Wein

Comment |

Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) wants movies to be available online for instant streaming the same day they premiere in movie theaters, an idea that has upset movie theater owners.

Saturday during a presentation at the Film Independent Forum in Los Angeles, Netflix's chief content officer said innovation in the way movies are released and marketed has been stifled by theater owners. "The reason why we may enter this space and try to release some big movies ourselves this way is because I'm concerned that as theater owners try to strangle innovation and distribution, not only are they going to kill theaters, they might kill movies," Ted Sarandos said, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

"These antiquated windows for movies are probably driving global piracy more... than any of these piracy sites everyone is always screaming about," Sarandos said.

The theater owners quickly fired back. "Subscription movie services and cheap rentals killed the DVD business, and now Sarandos wants to kill the cinema as well," John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, told Deadline.com.

For more:
- the Hollywood Reporter had this report
- Deadline.com had this report

Read more about: original content, NFLX
back to top

4. CBS said to be developing online news network

By Josh Wein

Comment |

CBS (NYSE: CBS) has been developing a 24-hour news network that would be distributed online to tablets, video game consoles, smartphones and streaming TV devices, according to a report in BuzzFeed citing unnamed sources.

The project is still in its early stages, according to a report in Variety. If the network materializes, it could include a mix of archived programming from CBS News's other properties as well as some original programming, the BuzzFeed report said.

It's unclear from the reports whether the network would ask subscribers to pay for access, as Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) does. Other options could include an ad-supported model like YouTube or a mix of ad and subscription revenue.

CBS spokespeople told Variety and BuzzFeed that new platforms offer "all kinds of exciting opportunities" and that the company intends to keep pursuing them.

For more:
- BuzzFeed had this report
- Variety had this report

5. Netflix gets 'Dexter' from CBS

By Josh Wein

Comment |