It’s beginning to look like there are seeds of change being planted in the world of Pay TV. For example, network execs are working to get extra days worth of commercial-viewing payments. Can you guess why? It’s due to the rise of binge- viewing. Speaking of viewing trends, Pay TV execs are beginning to imagine a world of subscription bundles which offer their customers greater flexibility than ever before. That sure beats being forced to pay for channels that won’t be watched. There is also some not-so-good news for free-TV sports fans: major league sports may move exclusively to Pay TV. We can’t help but wonder if the legions of free-TV sports fans will let this go without a fight.
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Seeking More Pay for Delayed Play (The New York Times)
Back in 2007, advertisers agreed to pay television networks for commercials viewed within 3 days of a shows first broadcast. That may have been a sweet deal then, but it isn’t anymore! With the pace of delayed viewing rising more than ever, network executives are pushing for a change. They are proposing payment for 7 days of commercial viewing on all screens, including computers and mobile devices. Networks don’t get paid for any commercial viewing that takes place starting on the 4th day after a show's first-run, even though this is increasingly becoming the case in viewing trends. Do you agree that the change of payment is overdue?
Imagining a Post-Bundle TV World (The Wall Street Journal)
For decades, customers have been forced to subscribe to bundles of channels, whether they wanted them or not. This recently led to lawsuits against cable powerhouses, who are allegedly pairing ‘lesser-watched’ channels with popular ones. Pay TV execs are beginning to consider giving consumers the right to pick and choose channels that interest them most, which would be of great appeal to audiences with specific interests. This may initially be a costly move for entertainment companies, but do you think it will be worth it?
NAB: Sports Blackout Rule Changes Will Drive Sports to Pay-TV (TV Technology)
Major league sports may move away from broadcast television and onto Pay TV, due to a proposed elimination of the sports blackout rule. The current rule allows games to be blacked out on local TV in certain markets until a certain percentage of tickets have been sold. This would not be good news for the growing number of people who rely on free, over-the-air television as their primary source of sports programming. If this change were to go into effect, do you think it would impact potential game ticket sales?
