Mark Cuban comments on the iTunes/Disney deal:
Read the whole thing, Mark gets it. But you already knew that.
Category: Television
Friday, 14 October 2005
Thursday, 13 October 2005
Oh, Did I Mention iTunes Kills Television Advertising
Josh at Splintered Channels ponders traditional ad spots within the new iTunes-delivered TV programs.
The TV I’ve had for the last 10 years has a 30-sec timer button on it. Hit the button, change the channel, and 30 seconds later you’ll automatically return to the previous program. Tivo time-shifted both the program and this ad-skip behavior (though VCR instilled this behavior decades ago, albeit without the sexiness of digital).
Josh is right, ad campaigns have a shorter shelf-life than the programs they interrupt. In all but the biggest of primetime television programs, the ads are also region specific (if not local). So, inserting a conventional 30-second spot in a digital iTunes download wastes at least the same amount of money as one delivered via the air waves.
As I’ve mentioned in the Economics of Podcasting and Podcasting is Closer to Voicemail than Radio, the pains of conventional broadcasting (FCC licensing, antennas, etc) don’t exist in the digital realm. Combine that with customers actually paying per episode and the advertiser/distributor relationship turns from symbiotic to parasitic.
If iTunes starts to include interruption-based ads within the TV programs they offer, 2 things will happen:
- An iMovie Applescript will magically appear that automatically slices out the annoyances.
- The programs with ads won’t sell….at any price.
Catharine Taylor at AdWeek’s AdFreak concurs.
I’m glad someone inside the advertising industry said that and cursed while doing so.
Once television advertising goes the way of the Wicked Witch of the West, where does that leave Nielsen Ratings?
ABC affiliates are asking that now.
Just as I can read the same email in a web-browser, in a desktop application, and through VersaMail on my Treo, all other media will shortly be liberated from it’s exclusive distribution channel.
Quick rhetorical question: What’s a television program that isn’t originally released on television?
Wednesday, 12 October 2005
Amazing Race 8 – Episode 3
The mudding challenge – very cool. I gotta give the Aeillo family props for making 14 attempts through the mud bog.
The AOL laptop clue in the middle of the Rocket Center was completely dorky and worthless…well….aside from product placement. Reminded me of the ‘assemble something at IKEA’ challenge they had a couple seasons back.
I’m still not sure if it’s the 4-person teams, families, or all the time they’re spending on the East Coast, so far the season isn’t working for me or Jen. It feels much less exciting and exotic than the world travel of previous seasons. No language or currency issues, lots of driving. Makes armchair travel much less thrilling.
On the plus side, free BP and Arco gas – for life – is definitely one of the coolest awards ever.
Current Standing of Garrick’s Favorites:
- Lintz – #2
Aeillo– #8, eliminated. Crap.
Word from Claire
“How can you not mention the all time best line in any season of TAR from last night’s episode: ‘If you haven’t noticed, gravity is currently pushing on me.’ –Phil”
Tuesday, 4 October 2005
Amazing Race 8 – Episode 2
On a good note, the suitcase-exchange Road Block in the Tidal Basin is one of Amazing Race’s best challenges; it’s place appropriate, anyone can do it, it’s sexy, and success is a random process of elimination. As always, a good road block like this shakes up the rankings.
It feels like the teams are spending 80% of the time driving around New England. I’m sure its pretty, it doesn’t seem as exotic nor as entertaining as flying around the world.
On tonight’s elimination; if you read a map and send your team the opposite direction down the freeway – be man enough to admit it right away. Don’t blame your son for missing an exit you never passed. Yes, Rogers Family Dad, I’m talking to you and thanks for owning up to it in the end.
Current Standing of Garrick’s Favorites
- Lintz – #2
- Aeillo – #5
Tuesday, 27 September 2005
Amazing Race 8 – Series Premiere
Amazing Race 8, family style premiered tonight.
Best Thing: Cameos by season 1’s Kevin and Drew.
Worst Thing: So much screaming. Unnecessary screaming. Oh, and the all Flash, unlinkable website.
Current favorites: Lintz Family, Aiello Family.
Thursday, 15 September 2005
Laptop Killing TV and Stereo
I had a post on my personal blog about wanting my favorite movies and TV shows available as digital downloads, rather than DVDs. Looks like I’m not the only one considering my laptop the all-in-one media and communications center. PSFK points to an article on British youth not owning televisions. I picked up a Tivoli iPAL this weekend to replace the bulky 5 CD stereo system we haven’t turned on in months (because there’s no line-in jack for the iPod).
Friday, 9 September 2005
A Suggestion for Shareware-ing TV and Movies
I’ve got a handful of password-protected PDF files. I can share those files with anyone, back them up on as many computers or discs as I’d like. If I want to actually read them, I need the password. The password cost me a $10 or $50 or what have you.
I’d like to see this model applied to TV shows and movies. If I want to watch my favorite TV shows for free – then I have to wait for a new episode each week and have it interrupted by commercials. If I’d rather watch on back-to-back episodes on my schedule, here’s $50 for the digital files and a password to open them. I’m far more comfortable paying for .movs than I am DVDs.
As a quick aside, this is what Doug Kaye talks about for IT Conversations in his conversation with Moira Gunn.
What about crackers writing patches to break this loose DRM? Yes, that’ll happen as it has and as it always will. They don’t really care about your stuff anyway, they’re just looking for something to break. If you’re real worried about that, just makes the files available for download and on BitTorrent and put a ‘Pay $50 to remove this message’ over the video. I’m confident a quick search at MacUpdate.com or VersionTracker.com will shake out more than a handful of software developers this model is working very well for.
TV and movie producers – if you’d still like a place in my daily life, I’m going to need your stuff in a format that fits my life. I’m not interested in filling my closets with DVDs or chaining myself to the sofa to purge the TiVo recordings. I’d much rather play your latest offering in the few moments I have in waiting rooms.
I’m weaning myself off public radio for this exact reason and I like them.
Thursday, 8 September 2005
Hugh Laurie on KCRW’s the Treatment
Elvis Mitchell interviewing Hugh Laurie from Fox’s House – my favorite new show. It’s a great listen. I was completely taken aback by Hugh’s extremely British accent. I think that’s a mark of a fantastic actor – being able to remove yourself from the character completely.
On a slightly related note, Cayenne Chris‘ voice does a marathon of identities in the latest Teknikal Diffikulties.
This reminds me that in this week’s episode, where House admits he still loves his ex, he attempts to walk without his cane.
Honestly, if he would have succeeded in making that first step, I would have stopped watching. House is a great character because of the contrast of this most obvious weakness and his bitter, curt, authority. If he ever loses that weakness, the show will jump the shark.
Tuesday, 6 September 2005
The City of Louisiana Rant From Keith Olbermann
MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann ranted articulately and poignantly about the Lake George recovery – starting with Chertoff’s “…the city of Louisiana…” comment.
Best thing I’ve seen on MSM for quite some time.
Monday, 5 September 2005
P2P is the Same as Used – What You Want Isn’t Always There
Inspired by We Jam Econo screening by MN Film Arts, I thought I’d blow out my fIREHOSE and Minutemen collection.
Now, I haven’t set foot in a cd store since I stopped doing secret shops for Cheapo Discs and buying CDs from Amazon seems like a step backwards. Today, I thought I’d check iTunes and mp3.com – nothing except “Flying the Flannel”. Not one of Watt’s better albums.
Nothing over in the torrents either.
Moments like this make me wonder where in the long tail I need to look for digital versions of late 80s punk.
This reminds me, Jen got into Lost a little late this season, and we’ve been trying to catch up before the new season starts. This experience has proved to me that unless bandwidth speeds dramatically increase tv and movie producers shouldn’t worry about “piracy”. According to our calculations, by the time we would have waited for the entire season to download, the DVDs were available in stores – for $40. I spent more than that just figuring out how to do it.
Now, I’m all for simultaneous release dates across multiple medias; TV, DVD, Theater, P2P networks, Netflix. Each distribution channel has their own strengths, weaknesses, costs, and benefits.
It all depends on what’s going to work best for the individual fan.
To entertainment producers: Personally, I prefer .mov in my backyard.