the battle over dvr in the clouds > why it matters
August 11, 2008
Image by obieta via Flickr
Call it nDVR. Call it VOD. Call it on-demand streaming. Call it ad skipping. Call it TIVO, SlingBox, or ORB. Call it place-shifting, copyright infringement or distribution democratization.
The outcome is the same.
The present is changing. The past has changed. Now is too late, but Tomorrow may be to soon. The key to success in today's market is adaptive innovation, planned flexibility that protects today's revenue streams while laying the foundations of tomorrow's solutions.
Broadcast Networks and Content Owners will by and large continue to cling to what is known, familiar and therefor immediately advertiser friendly. They will fight change for the upheaval and turmoil it will cause the industry, for the massive investment and effort required of both manpower and resources (not to mention infrastructural costs) towards deploying a new model.
But a new model will emerge. And fighting the future will not keep it from coming. I tried. I took the batteries out of my watch. But the day ended. And tomorrow came.
The battle over nDVRs will continue. And it should. This court battle matters. It sets a strong precedent for future technologies... which will in turn demand new models.
The Mainstream Media outlets and Cable Providers are smart. They are battling to protect their current revenues. But most importantly, while they are battling to protect their wallets today, they are innovating, fostering tomorrow's future all the while. Hulu is out and is (to my mind) a success. TheWB relaunches in weeks. But this is only the beginning.
The entire concept of change is still in it's infancy. And I for one, am looking forward to quite a ride.