Why TV Everywhere Will Fail: Because It's Based On Taking Away Value, Not Adding It
from the not-how-things-work,-folks dept
We've been pretty skeptical of the plans by the big cable companies to create "TV Everywhere," a system to try to reduce churn by offering users the ability to access TV shows online that match their cable subscriptions. The problem, of course, is that the cable companies aren't looking at this as a way to embrace the future, but more as a way to make the internet act more like cable. This is a recipe for failure. Mark Glaser, over at PBS MediaShift, digs in to explain the many reasons why TV Everywhere is likely to fail, and they're all focused around a simple issue: the whole concept is based on limiting consumer options, rather than increasing them. The TV Everywhere supporters shoot back that they are increasing options by giving people access to their TV channels online, but that's only under very restrictive conditions that are more designed to keep you from cutting the cord from the cable company -- a relationship many customers are fed up with and would love to ditch. It's a simple message that so many companies have trouble understanding these days: you don't succeed by limiting customers and taking away value.
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
I recently moved to a new internet company from Canada's Rogers Cable highspeed internet. This new company charges me $40/month for 100GB of unthrottled bandwidth. When I called up Rogers to cancel, they did the whole huge song and dance trying to keep me. They eventually asked me what they could do to make me stay, I said offer me 100GB for $35/month and they said that wasn't possible.
Add Your Comment