Category Archives: Cable

Advice For a Potential Client (creating new IP in the age of social mobile video)

Posted on October 23, 2016 by Chris Dorr

Last week I had an extensive discussion with a large cable network who wants to launch a new franchise online. Ideally this new franchise would work in many markets across the world, playable in multiple languages. We had a long … Continue reading →

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Does TV Have Any Gifts Left for Its Viewers?

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Chris Dorr

Netflix continues to challenge the distribution model of traditional, linear TV. Rich Greenfield points out in a recent blog post that plain old TV cannot catch a break from this onslaught. As he writes, “If you think of the core … Continue reading →

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Gradually, Then Suddenly: The Pay TV Bundle Erodes

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Chris Dorr

“How did you go bankrupt?” Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” —-Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises The Internet does one thing very well (among others). It destroys business models, particularly those long held by legacy media companies. Two years I … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadband, Cable, Distribution, Innovation, Internet, Old Media, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Achilles Heel of the Cable Networks

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Chris Dorr

In Betting Against the Cable Bundle, Emily Steel captures some of the fault lines that exist in today’s mass media ecosystem. A cable TV provider, Suddenlink Communications, is in a dispute with Viacom, the media conglomerate that owns several cable … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadband, Cable, Distribution, Internet, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Comcast Tax and Broadband Shell Game

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Chris Dorr

Cable companies operate two distinct lines of business. Traditionally they bundle and resell linear TV networks.  The cable company feeds these networks into our homes and provides the interface that lists the content for our selection.  The cable company pays … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadband, Cable, Distribution, Internet | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

How Cable TV Invented Crowd Funding

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Chris Dorr

We assume that crowd funding first appeared when Kickstarter launched five years ago. We may be wrong. You see, the cable television business invented crowd funding a long time ago, when they created the basic cable bundle. The basic cable … Continue reading →

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When TV Viewers Get Control

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Chris Dorr

Netflix released the second season of the House of Cards Friday February 14, 2014.  All thirteen episodes were immediately available. My wife and I viewed 5 of them in one afternoon.  We plan to complete the season within the next … Continue reading →

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Three Voices of Clarity on Net Neutrality

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Chris Dorr

Since the January 14 court decision that overturned the FCC’s position on net neutrality many people have held forth on the issue.  Here are three who have addressed the issue in a clear manner and added insight to a topic … Continue reading →

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When (and Why) Did I Start Paying for CBS?

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Chris Dorr

The broadcast TV business model has always been very simple.  Convince a large number of people to view your show at the same time and advertisers will pay a lot for the right to get their attention. This is how … Continue reading →

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Will Half of TV Melt Away?

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Chris Dorr

Television shows have always worked as a binding agent in American culture since they exploded onto the scene in the 1950’s.  Gathering around the tube to witness a live event or a popular show on the night when a new … Continue reading →

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