Internet TV is on its way, broadband plan or no

Last week, the FCC unveiled its National Broadband Plan and it gained a lot of support instantly — including a New York Times editorial calling for its quick adoption — but it also spawned a round of thinking ahead to the future of media.

One conclusion, nicely highlighted in an article in the Atlantic by Max Fisher, is that Internet TV is coming, regardless of what happens to the National Broadband Plan. Any digital strategies being created now must keep this in mind, or risk being obsolete as soon as that future starts taking shape.

Fisher posits in the Atlantic article that cable TV is doomed because it is built on a bad business model: consumers pay for cable access, at prices that keep climbing steeply, and still have to pay again by watching advertisements. While consumers pay for Internet access as well, the costs are lower and so many are paying it already, in addition to cable TV.

The hurdles to Internet TV have been poor video quality and a lack of programming.  But as the networks have gotten used to the idea of streaming shows, the programming supply has grown quickly and will continue to do so because networks are motivated by self-preservation. Technology is also improving video quality, which will get another boost if the National Broadband Plan kicks in and increases available bandwidth.

Scope of National Broadband Plan is commendable

The National Broadband Plan unveiled Tuesday by the FCC is a far-reaching 376-page proposal that has considerable merit and laudable goals.

The plan, mandated by Congress, would span 10 years and would reshape the country’s technology priorities. At its core, the proposal would attempt to increase high-speed Internet access across the country -- and increase the speed by which it’s delivered ten or twenty fold -- lowering costs to households and making broadband affordable to rural communities. A byproduct of those goals would position the U.S. as a world leader in broadband infrastructure, which would create jobs and businesses along the way.

As I said, it’s ambitious. And it’s sure to get caught in the crossfire of lobbyists from both the television and telecommunication industries, not to mention -- regardless of your politic leanings -- it is likely to get bogged down in the morass of Washington over the next decade.

But perhaps two of the plan’s key goals will help the business and political worlds unite.

Live streaming bedfellows: ESPN and MLBAM

The announcement this week that Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) will handle all of ESPN’s live streaming video may, at first glance, seem like a case of business making for strange bedfellows.

But for ESPN and MLBAM, that’s hardly the case. These are simply two smart companies who found their digital strategies converging and are leveraging their assets by strengthening a relationship. While competitors, ESPN and MLBAM have long had a solid working relationship, not to mention a rights agreement in place through 2013. Monday’s announcement will simply bring them closer.

(Disclosure moment: I was Vice President and General Manager at MLBAM for eight years)

ESPN, which will be changing the name of its video channel to ESPN3.com in April from the current ESPN360.com, said it will stream nearly 3,500 live events each year. That lineup will include college football, tennis, NBA, and the headliner for this year, World Cup soccer.

Revamped MSN homepage embraces changing digital environment

MSN rolled out a new homepage Wednesday. Or more precisely, it’s in the process of rolling it out to the site’s 100 million users.  MSN’s initial redesign began last November when it was road-tested for a small segment of its users to solicit feedback.

In addition to revamping its design - its first serious makeover in a decade - Microsoft added a number of new features. Prominent among those features is a large push for Bing, Microsoft’s search engine. With Bing showing steady growth in the share of search queries, this comes as no surprise.

The redesign also incorporates a new module for local news, another fast-growing segment of MSN’s site traffic. Additionally, MSN has aggregated its social networking, with popular trend watches, Hotmail, Twitter and Facebook tabs.

All of this isn’t to say the new MSN homepage is a success or failure. Change isn’t easy for a lot of users, and the loss of the MSN’s trademark blue background alone will be enough to cause some initial anxiety.