Netflix courts Cable. Roku, Apple TV Should do the Same?
Monday was a long but productive day. At Midnight, we launched the TPN at CES crowdfund – a crowdfund project for our trip out to CES. I talk about why we need it. Last night on TWIGG.TV we talked with Kathi Browne about Google Glass and Healthcare. It was a great hour worth of content about what the medical profession is planning for Glass. I’m also in the hunt for a new computer. Its time to get a newer processor so video can be processed faster.
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Geek Smack! episode 279 Tech News:
Snapchat Privacy
– Snapchat handed over a dozen unopened “self-destruct” images to law enforcement
Twitter DM Policy
– People can DM you even if you don’t have them as a friend. You have to check a box to do that.
Sony Smartwatch
– Sony Xperia Z1, Z Ultra, Smartwatch 2 coming to the US
Yahoo! FAIL
– links are broken, key functions removed. Users unhappy.
iPad Event
– October 22nd will be the date for iPad 5 and OS X Mavericks.
Google Opt-Out
– How to opt-out of the Google using your name in products
NSA Surveillance
– Government officials are petitioning the Supreme Court to not take the case of wiretaps.
Crazy Netflix
– Customer service cosplay as Star Fleet officers
Geekedia of the Week
Geek Smack! Geek News
Longevity Optical Disc
– This disc claims it can keep its data for 1 billion years. Who will be around to verify that claim?
SuperCell Sold
– Softbank and Gungho purchase SuperCell for $1.5 billion
Flickr Larger
– Flickr allows 25% larger photos for their site
Adtrap Bad?
– Before you get your AdTrap, understand what you WON’T get with the service…
Salesforce Identity
– Single Sign-on Identity management service implemented
$50 to Dublin?
– United Airlines website glitch offered air trips to NJ and Dublin for only $50
KitKat Screenshots
– Is Android looking like a joke with 4.4?
Geek Smack: Netflix wants to be on Cable. Roku, Apple TV Should Reverse That?
[stock NFLX]
Netflix has been pitching to cable companies to add content through their on-demand services. They signed a contract with Virgin Media, but want more.
While it would be a great addition to a cable box, is Netflix thumbing their noses to the set top boxes that made it popular to begin with? Netflix is a very interesting company. It was only a few years ago that Reed Hastings tried to “Qwikster” it; losing hundreds of thousands of accounts (including me) and dropping in stock by $230/ share within only 120 days.
Somehow their reorganization worked as on September 13, 2013 the company’s stock surpassed the $295/share peak it hit in 2011.
Now, the company is looking to go further in their service by trying to get into cable companies’ on-demand boxes. Something similar to Dish and Blockbuster’s deal – only the cable companies would still have their on-demand movies and Netflix would enhance with TV series including their original programming.
Instead of you paying $8/month for the service, would you then pay your cable company an additional $8 for the service.
Time Warner and AT&T have pretty much said no at this point in time. Virgin Media agreed (as we talked about last week). With this insertion into a corporate environment, Netflix could grow more.
So where would that leave Roku, Chromecast and Apple TV users? Cord cutters? Would these devices feel like Netflix is seceding and going toward corporate TV?
Ever since I’ve learned about Over the Top Television, I believe conventional cable will eventually morph into this model. Yet cable companies think of OTT as a “Playground” for possible content that could move to prime time.
After all, if you created a show that was published via iTunes or Roku devices and a cable company approached you to do it full time, would you take the gig? Tosh.0 did. The Nerdists Kevin Hardwick did.
What if Roku and Apple TV were to combat by going to a Viacom or Turner broadcasting and ask them to create a Set top box channel only. A streaming channel you get only on their boxes with additional content, movies and more – only $8 a month?
Would you subscribe to a TBS/TNT-type Roku channel? Discovery is the closest to OTT with their purchase of Revision 3 last year. They have been injecting shows into that channel, such as Tory Bellecis “Blow it up”.
Does streaming television need a channel that you can just watch – you don’t need to program the next show, it just streams the content to you? Such as NBC programs their content during the day? I know there are times I am sitting in my chair wondering what I should watch next on my Roku or Chromecast – instead of getting fed content.
Netflix is like that friend who cannot make a decision of where to go or what to do. At the end of the day, you need corporate dollars to survive. Putting Netflix into millions of homes in one shot is a no-brainer. But turning the next generation of TV into the cable company itself – that could be priceless.
Geek Smack! is a weekly video show and podcast that comes out every Tuesday evening. Your host: Jeffrey Powers – talks tech news, IT news and geek news for the week. Geek Smack! is ©2013 under a Creative Commons no-deriv license. All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey. I’ve been for a walk on a winters day! If you would like more information about what is technology, recent news, Geekazine, and Jeffrey Powers, feel free to contact him. Jeffrey Powers does interviews, just ask!