Weekly Rewind
Can the FCC make cable boxes unnecessary? There’s good news and bad news with the FCC’s revised “unlock the box” proposal, which would require cable companies like Comcast to offer all their TV channels through streaming devices like Apple TV and Roku.
Let’s start with the bad: The FCC is basically giving up on improving the TV experience through competition. Under the old plan, device makers like Apple and Amazon would have complete control over the TV guide. This would allow them, for instance, to offer personalized playlists instead of round-the-clock programming. (TV networks hated this idea.)
The upside with the new proposal is that it’s a quick-and-dirty way for cable subscribers to cut down on hardware rental fees. The plan calls for standalone TV apps on all the major streaming platforms, and they’d have to offer a similar experience to existing cable boxes, including live channels, on-demand video, and DVR access. In other words, it won’t allow for radical reinvention of the viewing experience, but it could solve one of today’s big pain points for cable subscribers.
All of this assumes the FCC will approve the plan, which is hardly guaranteed. The TV industry is just as grumpy about this proposal as they were about the last one.
Twitter on TV: You probably don’t think of Twitter as the kind of service yo u’d access through a television, but the company is trying to change that perception with its new Apple TV, Fire TV, and Xbox One apps. The new apps emphasize live streaming video, including Thursday Night Football, and are also a way to soak up Vine loops and Periscope streams from your couch.
More broadly, the app is part of Twitter’s plan to refashion itself as a media company, something it has attempted in the past, but seems better-suited to pull off now as it buys up the rights to more live events.
More Catch-Up
|
