Shelly’s Blog

We hear the content industry and rights holders complaining about piracy everyday: file sharing, physical piracy, theft-of-services, derivative works, etc. But has anyone stopped to think about how many times consumers are asked to pay for the same content? Computer files may be the final form factor, but that is not stopping media companies from Continue Reading →

Last week we lived in a 1,000-channel universe. Since the mid-1980s we have been channel surfing to our hearts’ content, searching for just the right program at just the right time.  We’ve heard critics (old and new) say stuff like: “I’ve got 500 channels, but nothing to watch.”  Hell, even Andy Warhol weighed in on Continue Reading →

“If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mousetrap than his neighbor, though he build his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door.” This quote is attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, an author, philosopher, thinker and Unitarian minister. He was Continue Reading →

LET’S PLAY PRETEND FOR A minute. On the count of three, you will know everything there is to know about the viewing habits of your most coveted television audience: what they watch, when they watch, who’s in the room, how long … everything. In fact, since we are pretending, in this fantasy we’re even going Continue Reading →

There has been so much written about what should and should not be free on the Internet: Free speech, free music, free files, free games – you’ll notice that the operating word here is free.   The New York Times quoted Ross Anderson this week talking about his first foray into peer-to-peer (P2P), which according Continue Reading →

I WAS ATTENDING THE CABLE and Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) “Thrilla in Phila” conference on Monday at the Philadelphia Convention Center. CTAM holds several cable-centric confabs throughout the year and always puts on a great show. One session, in particular, caught my eye. It was entitled, “Integrated One-Two Punch of Traditional and New Media.” Continue Reading →

The Eskimos have 27 words for snow … The Great Wall of China is the only manmade object you can see from space … there is more than 20% of the value locked up in the Long Tail.  These are all myths that have such romantic power, you just want to believe them – but Continue Reading →

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Tom Rogers, the new chief of TiVo Inc is charged with transforming the company that changed the way viewers watch television into one that makes money for media owners fearful that its technology could wipe out billions of dollars in advertising.   Rogers, who helped engineer landmark deals for NBC and Continue Reading →

“It’s not about content versus technology, it’s about what’s right versus what’s wrong” said Andy Lack, CEO of SonyBMG.  He was referring to the June 27, 2005 Supreme Court decision which makes technology companies liable for how their technology is used.  This is viewed as a big win for content creators and rights holders as Continue Reading →

Chris Marlowe reports: Google Video is set to go live Monday, marking the latest step in the evolution of search engines.   In its initial phase, the free service will comb for results through thousands of videos submitted by their owners and still-video captures from more than 20 TV stations. Consumers will need to download Continue Reading →