Comments on: Media. Power. Panic. Monopoly.

By: Sophia Agtarap

Sophia Agtarap — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:08:17 +0000

Nielsen’s Three Screen Report: TV Remains Strong as DVR and Online Video Show Most Growth. http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/three-screen-report-tv-remains-strong-as-dvr-and-online-video-show-most-growth/

Some of the highlights that they identify from the report:

-Almost 99% of video content watched in America is still done on traditional television

-DVR and Online Video continue to show solid growth – up 21.1% and 34.9% respectively in time spent from Third Quarter 2008

-Teens continue to watch mobile video the most, at just over 7 hours per month, though mobile video is not just a young medium, as mobile users Adults 45-54 report viewing nearly 3 hours of video on their mobile phones

Downloadable PDF here: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/3ScreenQ309_USrpt_12.07final.pdf

By: Sophia Agtarap

Sophia Agtarap — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:50:53 +0000

Related piece in today’s Huffington Post on how Internet TV could add needed competition in the cable company market: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marvin-ammori/net-neutrality-tv-everywh_b_386919.html

By: jannaq

jannaq — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:52:28 +0000

Like Jon Hickey, when I moved into my new house in September, I also opted to not get cable and just Comcast broadband. Living in a house composed of three full time college students, we understood that watching our favorite shows “live” just was not realistic. The “other options” hand me the content I want, when I want it, and in the form most convenient to me. I watch my TV shows after my evening classes on Hulu and read the latest news stories during idle time on the New York Times application on my iPhone. I know I’m not a sole member to this new lifestyle.

When Comcast announced they signed a definitive agreement with GE to form a joint venture, I couldn’t help but wonder, is this the end of the “cable bypass” that I have grown accustom to? Possibly being the biggest media merger of the decade, the deal entrusts Comcast with competitive control over the U.S.’s oldest television networks, more than a dozen cable networks and Universal Studios (both the movie studio and the theme parks). It seems to me that this merge is a step towards the cross-ownership conglomerates Kathy Gill opposes and a way for Comcast to combat their cable irrelevance.

By: Jon Hickey

Jon Hickey — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:57:48 +0000

When I moved into my new apartment on Oct. 1, I chose not to get cable – just Comcast broadband. I connected a desktop to my TV, and now I can stream from Hulu, Netflix, as well as other streaming services. I can’t watch sports on ESPN or FSN, but there are sneaky ways to stream those as well.

The rabbit ears are great too. $8 at Walgreens gets you quite a few decent HD channels.

I’m interested to see what happens with the Comcast purchase of NBC. Part of me is worried about it, but the more optimistic side things that they won’t be able to control that market for long.

For now I’m crossing my fingers for McGinn to provide that city-wide broadband utility so I can stop paying Comcast each month. My video streaming will be pretty happy about that as well…

By: Eric Burgess

Eric Burgess — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:00:53 +0000

DirectTV has some great deals right now at $29 a month, but they’re really the only competition. I looked into them and unfortunately they do not offer high speed internet. So, to get DirectTV for the deal that they have, I could get DSL, but then I’d need a land line. Now, it’s silly to have a land line since we pay for our cell phones already – so – I stay with Comcast.

Another interesting thing about Comcast is that they have invested large amounts of money in Clearwire. While Clearwire continues to build out it’s “wireless” infrastructure, it wouldn’t be surprising if Comcast just gave them the money to do so, only to buy them up when Clearwire finishes their nationwide growth.