Will all TV content eventually be streamed over the Internet? Steve Shannon, general manager of content and devices at Roku believes so, and that was a recurring message of his keynote address at last week’s BroadbandVision show. Shannon believes that the TV experience will evolve into an app on some form of streaming platform and all TV content will be streamed.
“For most of our users, folks turn to their Roku as the first stop when they sit down on the couch, [and] if they can’t find what they’re after on Roku, then they’ll go to their pay-TV box,” said Shannon in the below on-site interview. “We have thousands of channels on Roku, I mean the selection is awesome.”
Shannon shares these thoughts and others, including the evolving role of the STB and how broadband providers are increasingly turning to Roku for a TV type offer.
Will this turn the tables on content providers – for example will they now need to contribute or pay directly to ISPs? Or, will the content providers begin charging ISP's to deliver content (a model similar to the current pay TV model)? Will ISP's begin charging (or will content providers begin contributing) content providers to assist in the continual upgrade of facilities capable of delivering content?
The driver for real time content – pay TV model – is live sports. Will every sporting event become a pay per event, MLB.com model, or something else? The blackout provision of the professional sports will need to change to accommodate this model.
I think it is easy to say that content will be delivered via the internet, but how does the economic model change to accommodate the distribution of content. How do you reach the many households that don't have internet access or are under-served?
I would be interested in some comments regarding the economics of such a change.