Could the Comcast-Time Warner merger actually be a good thing for online TV?

[Commentary] The news that Dish aims to launch its online TV service this summer highlighted an interesting factoid: In some cases, big media mergers actually do foster competition -- as long as they come with a solid side of regulatory-imposed conditions, that is.

Dish first announced its plans to launch an internet TV service in March, when the satellite operator struck a far-reaching licensing pact with Disney. Dish’s plan is to stream a smaller and less expensive package of live TV programming to subscribers unable or unwilling to sign up for a full satellite package. Bloomberg reported that the operator is aiming for a $20 to $30 monthly price tag, and that it is targeting younger viewers who prefer to watch their programming on mobile devices. Think of it as pay TV for cord cutters, if you will. The service won’t be completely unbundled, meaning that consumers won’t be able to pick and choose the three networks they’re interested in watching. Dish’s pact with Disney already called for ABC and ESPN to be part of “an Internet delivered, IP-based multichannel offering,” and Bloomberg explained that Dish will have to have contracts with at least two of the four big broadcasters, and at least ten of the highest-rated cable networks, before the new service can launch. It looks like that second broadcaster will most likely be NBC. That’s because the merger between NBC Universal and Comcast in 2011 came with a bunch of conditions imposed by the FCC and the Justice Department, including the requirement to make the same channels it is licensing to traditional cable or satellite operators also available to online video services. In addition to that, NBC is bound to follow the leads of others in this space.