Leaving comments across the blogosphere…
A modest proposal for a smoother digital TV switchover
No matter how proactive we are, I think there’s going to be a lot of angry and confused people come February. They’ll call the local TV stations and city hall. It’ll be a financial burden on the little guys who won’t be getting a piece of the spectrum proceeds.
TiVo Launches YouTube Channel with Badoop Badoop Show
I emailed with TiVo this AM. Sounds like the Blackberry announcement is just a business dealio at this point. I assume they’ll do something similar to the Java scheduling app that’s been available on Verizon. I also assume ultimately, maybe they build TiVoToGo into Blackberry’s PC Media Manager. No new functionality really, but potentially a good marketing relationship and perhaps easier for for customers to move video to a Blackberry. But that portion isn’t scheduled for 2008, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Comscore Says Almost Everyone (75%) in the US Now Watches Video Online
Based on the data, it’d be more accurate to ask if 75% of those using the Internet have watched online video. Not the entire population. I’m not even sure what percent of the US is net-connected at this point. My great uncle gets all kinds of links sent to him via email, including YouTube and news sites. If an AOL customer like him is viewing video online, it may indeed be possible the vast majority of Internet users have seen something. Though that 235 minute stat is kinda crazy.
Yahoo hits 52 week low
I’m not a financial analyst kinda guy, but man it seems like Microsoft gave them an exit strategy. Being stubborn isn’t necessarily a successful business strategy. Another example is DISH CEO Charlie Ergen who continues to cost his shareholders money as he drags out the patent litigation with TiVo. It doesn’t matter if he’s right, the court has ruled against him – cut your losses and move on.
YTD Google and Microsoft are lower by percentage than Yahoo.
Yahoo -18.4%
GOOG -36.72%
Microsoft -22.5%
I think Yahoo hitting their 52 week low has more to do with the overall economy than their decision not to go with Microsoft.
FWIW – Microsoft did give Yahoo! shareholders an exit. As soon as they announced their offer, the stock shot way up. If someone wanted to hold out until the deal was finalized, then they only have themselves to blame. The real people who should be upset are the ones who bought the stock after the deal only to lose it when Yahoo! wouldn’t play. This might not be true for some of the big shareholders who would have had trouble unloading boatloads of stock, but for most Yahoo! investors, they only have their own greed to blame.