Quote:
Originally Posted by mbpark
Comcast bought NBC so that they could own a ton of the original content and charge anyone that is not them a lot of money to use it online. By a lot of money, I mean "make it prohibitively expensive".
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Key to that (which is part of a larger objective) is to get control of interactive TV. The music industry ignored an equivalent future market. Therefore Napster, et al occurred.
Comcast is only a data transfer company. But Comcast hopes to use their 'position' to obtain or control where real money can be obtained and (as noted) to increase the price (and profit). Any effort to control the data (using their position as a data transport company) means Comcast can cut out or out maneuver other competitors. One key objective is to control what would only be, for example, all archive entertainment for lower prices.
Net Flicks and interactive TV are examples of what Comcast fears - equivalent to what Napster did the music industry. If not controlled, then Comcast would be forced to provide more bandwidth for the same price - must respond to market forces rather than control them.
The internet model worked when data providers and data transporters were separate. By controlling both aspects, Comcast can more easily subvert free market competition to favor their bottom line.
GM did something similar by purchasing all Trolley companies.
I would bet most everyone never even considered any of this. Which is why that Comcast FCC lawsuit is so interesting only to those who saw this coming.