Question: When will the major MVPDs (that’s the Federal Confusion Commission’s moniker for cable, satellite and telco infrastructure-based video providers; it means Multichannel Video Programming Distributors) figure out they are all in the same business and unite in a new more cohesive policy-based group? Answer: Who’s kidding whom? Not in any immediate time frame. AT&T and Verizon don’t have the same world-view as Comcast and Charter … even though they're all really in the same business and the former two are copying everything the latter two do. There’s just too much legacy animosity. So, the answer is: as soon as the next wave of CEOs comes in we can probably expect a younger (a.k.a. more up to date) tilt. Meanwhile, the American TV Alliance does try to present a united front on some limited shared issues.
A Dozen Serious Media Questions with (Opinionated) Answers
