Digital Content

What does this megadeal tell us about the future of TV?

1. Broadband Video Is The Future
2. The Future of TV is Global
3. The Future of Video is Full Stack & D2C

The future of the TV business will be a grand, global game played out over broadband and delivered via apps. The prize is direct access to the hearts, minds, and wallets of middle-class urbanites around the world. Prior to this announcement, Netflix was leaving the competition in its dust. No more. Netflix needs to take a serious look in the rear view mirror.

Here's a fun question to pose at the family dinner table: have you ever heard of Alteryx? Whether you have or not, chances are good that it has heard of you. Alteryx is a data analytics company that makes its money by repackaging data that it has collected from different sources. And it became the latest reminder of how much data little-known companies have collected on us — and how little oversight there is over the security of that data. Data collection and analysis is a strong and growing multibillion dollar business, with thousands of firms.

As 2017 grinds to a halt, two media business stories promise to have a substantial impact on streaming video. 1) The Federal Communications Commission voted on Dec. 14 to overturn Obama-era regulations on net neutrality, which, simply put, prevented internet providers from playing favorites in terms of speed and bandwidth, and 2) the impending merger of the Walt Disney Company and certain major components of 21st Century Fox. 

The Trump administration stepped up its support for protesters in Iran calling on the government to stop blocking Instagram and other social media sites while encouraging Iranians to use special software to circumvent controls. 

President Donald Trump on Christmas Eve retweeted a doctored image with the CNN logo imposed on a bloodlike splatter under his shoe, prompting an outcry — with critics deeming the picture and its timing offensive. 

On the same day the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal its 2015 network neutrality rules, the Walt Disney Company announced a deal to buy most of 21st Century Fox. The all-stock transaction is valued at roughly $52.4 billion. If approved, Disney would go from being “a juggernaut to being a megajuggernaut.” Disney hopes the acquisition of Fox’s sports and entertainment content will give it new market power in the growing online distribution market (streaming services). The FCC’s move is not unrelated.

The Bundesnetzagentur prohibited certain aspects of the "StreamOn" add-on option offered by Telekom Deutschland GmbH (Telekom) with its "MagentaMobil" mobile tariff. The decision ensures that the provisions of the European Regulation on roaming and net neutrality are being complied with. "Telekom can continue to offer StreamOn. But in the interest of consumers, adjustments have to be made to the arrangement," explained Jochen Homann, Bundesnetzagentur President.

Now that the Federal Communications Commission has repealed net neutrality, it may be time to brace for the arrival of internet "fast lanes" and "slow lanes." Queried about their post-net-neutrality plans, seven major internet providers equivocated when asked if they might establish fast and slow lanes. None of the seven companies — Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, Charter, Cox, Sprint and T-Mobile — would rule out the possibility.

Twitter announced new and stricter rules banning bigoted content and hate groups from its platform. It also said it would begin enforcing its anti-hate and violence rules more stringently than it has in the past. But “context matters when evaluating for abusive behavior,” warns Twitter, and they have included two big exceptions in the new policy.

Two big earthquakes shook the media industry Dec 14. They are not directly connected but will combine to reshape the industry’s landscape. Net neutrality, the idea that internet distributors should not discriminate between different kinds of content, was voted out. The dramatic deal between Walt Disney Co. and 21st Century Fox, inked on the same day, should be seen at least in part as a response to this.