There has always been one fundamental difference between broadcasting and IPTV and that is the means of delivery. As they now blur into one we're seeing more and more requests for one stop distribution. On stream to IP and to broadcast.
But it's not so easy. And it's what's piqued my interest about AT&T's takeover of DirecTV.
At a time when even BSkyB seems to have realised that satellites are not the answer to future TV delivery, with their horribly asynchronous time trapped model, the company running one if the world's biggest IP fibre networks has bought a satellite company.
Of course, AT&T has bought s customer BSE and an acquired content library more than any technology. However, in the US with its vast open spaces, satellite is likely to remain an important complimentary TV delivery technology as more and more signals move onto IP.
This was a move AT&T had to make - Comcast upped the ante with their UNBC and Time Warner bids.
But in a world where anyone can start a TV network with global distribution for next to nothing (talk to me if you want to find out how, or just use YouTube..), infrastructure is still important. And as the FCC prevaricates over net neutrality, there are only two things you really need to be a 21st century TV network - content and delivery.
Oh how little has changed since the studios bought the cinemas in the 1930s...
But it's not so easy. And it's what's piqued my interest about AT&T's takeover of DirecTV.
At a time when even BSkyB seems to have realised that satellites are not the answer to future TV delivery, with their horribly asynchronous time trapped model, the company running one if the world's biggest IP fibre networks has bought a satellite company.
Of course, AT&T has bought s customer BSE and an acquired content library more than any technology. However, in the US with its vast open spaces, satellite is likely to remain an important complimentary TV delivery technology as more and more signals move onto IP.
This was a move AT&T had to make - Comcast upped the ante with their UNBC and Time Warner bids.
But in a world where anyone can start a TV network with global distribution for next to nothing (talk to me if you want to find out how, or just use YouTube..), infrastructure is still important. And as the FCC prevaricates over net neutrality, there are only two things you really need to be a 21st century TV network - content and delivery.
Oh how little has changed since the studios bought the cinemas in the 1930s...