Archive for May, 2010

A stroll around The Cable Show floor reveals at least a dozen interactive TV services built on a specification called EBIF, or Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format.  EBIF is the central building block for Comcast’s eye-popping new service, Xfinity Remote, built for the iPad and designed to allow customers to view content on the iPad as well as communicate with their set-top boxess.

The buzz of the day on Wednesday was the video below that Comcast’s Brian Roberts showed during today’s General Session. Watch and be amazed. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLz72XErN8U] You can read more about this product at the Comcast Voices blog.

We now live in the digital age. But it still a period of transition and we continue to adjust expectations for modes of behavior and struggle to understand what values should be kept from the old age and what new values should be developed for modern times.

Yesterday, former FCC Chairman Michael Powell led Marc Andreessen, Time Warner’s Jeffrey Bewkes, CBS’ Leslie Moonves, Comcast’s Brian Roberts, and Fox Filmed Entertainment’s Tom Rothman through a wide ranging, free flowing, and spirited discussion of the future of content at The Cable Show’s second general session.

For today’s contest we are going to do something a bit different. Instead of whoever tweets the most we are going to do a bit of a scavenger hunt.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u-fpSYU0Js] The TV Rejects played last night’s Battle of the Bands Charity Fundraiser for CableCares.  Check out their post-rehearsal interview. TV Rejects line up: Mike Grebb (CableFax) on guitar.

[UPDATE: Jay Byrne of v-Fluence posted his presentation online here.] New Media Minute’s Daisy Whitney led a group of cable communicators through a discussion of social media interaction with customers at The Cable Show Tuesday afternoon session, Conversation Starter: Social Media as a Mainstay of the New Communications Mix.

Internet Protocol-based (IP-based) service delivery is the wave of the future for the cable industry, a shift that has fostered an overhaul in the underlying technical architecture of cable networks.  But the industry still has a lot pioneering ahead in order to efficiently deliver the wide range of IP-based services envisioned for the 21st Century.

Even as technology accelerates viewing choices, consumers drive the programming process and it’s the job of operators and programmers to satisfy customer content demands on whatever platforms they choose to use, top industry executives agreed during The Cable Show’s 2010 Opening General Session today.  When it comes to navigating and managing the abundance of new delivery methods, “I think we have to pay attention to the consumer,” Time Warner Cable Chairman, President and CEO Glenn Britt said.  “Let’s let the consumers tell us when they’re ready.” With VOD, the Internet and mobile technologies driving a host of new content consumption complexities, “My job in my company is to enable all that for my customer,” Pat Esser, President of Cox Communications said.

The communications world has long coped with the seemingly inevitable balancing act between content and conduit.  In the cable industry, the relationship between programming and distribution started to give way in the 1980s as operators stepped up their investments in emerging cable program networks.  But comments this morning from cable’s biggest MSO head suggested that if Comcast’s deal to buy NBC-Universal can be completed, a whole new era of resolution between the two camps could begin.

In a discussion involving the people responsible for wireless strategies at America’s largest cable companies, one thing was clear – there is no single path they are taking to deliver wireless.  Cathy Avgiris of Comcast, John Bickham of Cablevision, Stephen Bye from Cox Communications, Frank Miller of Bend Broadband, and Mike Roudi from Time Warner Cable spoke today at The Cable Show in Los Angeles, on the panel “Spectrum of Possibility: Technology & Strategy for the Business of Wireless Communications.” While most noted the agreement between industry players Sprint and Clearwire to provide mobile outside their service areas, there were differing business plans on display.  Stephen Bye noted Cox Communications plans to build its own wireless network using current 3G technology, but also noted the ease of upgrading to LTE in the longer term.  That approach puts Cox at odds with most of the other operators.

Yesterday’s opening session of The Cable Show 2010 featured a line up of cable heavy hitters in free-flowing discussion across a wide variety of topics.  Starting with the FCC’s recent decision to pursue reclassification of ISPs under Title II, moderator Tyler Mathisen questioned the CEOs about regulations, business models, consumer interests, and the future.

The mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, commended the cable industry this morning for its support of an innovative youth center, A Place Called Home. Speaking at the launch of the CableCares day of service (see earlier post here), Mayor Villaraigosa said, “I want to thank CableCares because you chose a place that makes a difference in the lives of young people every day.”  The mayor also expressed his appreciation to the NCTA for hosting this year’s show in Los Angeles, underscoring the economic boost to the city by exhorting everyone to “spend money.” Several hundred cable industry volunteers are slated to spend the day at A Place Called Home, which has been widely credited for providing a safe and revitalizing haven in its South Central Los Angeles neighborhood.  Speaking to the assembled cable volunteers, Glenn Britt, Chairman, President and CEO of Time Warner Cable said, “You are going to play a small part in helping the many young people who benefit from coming to A Place Called Home.  It will continue to innovate our nation’s leaders and artists.” Time Warner is a long-time supporter of A Place Called Home.  The company’s President of Residential Services for the West Region, Deborah Picciolo, said that Time Warner Cable’s commitment to the community is a huge part of their company’s culture: “It’s not only about cable, phone, Internet and programming providers.” Find out more about A Place Called home by visiting the center’s website.

For the third consecutive year, The Cable Show has included events from the cabe industry’s charitable CableCares initiative. In partnership with Time Warner Cable in Los Angeles, this year we chose A Place Called Home (APCH) as the 2010 CableCares’ beneficiary.

Last Thursday, we announced the Tweet It To Win It Contest and now the time is here. Today’s the beginning of the first contest for the prize of getting the opportunity to meet tonight, the Battle of the Bands Judges: Kim Coles, Bob Guiney and Allison Hagendorf.