Liberty Media Chairman John Malone told CNBC that global streaming platforms like Apple and Amazon are providing “extremely high quality services” and meeting consumer needs. Malone believes that it’ll be difficult for the cable industry to catch up with other big direct consumer players that are rapidly expanding worldwide.
Liberty Media Chairman John Malone told CNBC that Amazon, Apple or Roku could dominate in the crowded streaming space given their ability to scale globally.
“I think these global platforms will be enormously powerful,” Malone said in an interview that aired Thursday with CNBC’s David Faber. Most products they create will be selling wholesale through these transport systems, the billionaire media mogul added.
Malone said Amazon and Apple are providing “extremely high quality services” and meeting consumer needs, while Roku, which aggregates content on its platform, is well-positioned for growth in the long run… “I believe that the cable industry, the U.S. cable industry, kind of missed the boat on being able to be the direct consumer provider in the video space,” Malone said. “Never say never, and never say it’s too late, but the scale of a Charter or the scale of a Comcast is small compared to the scale of an Amazon or the scale of an Apple.“
“These things are global. And the cable guys that we’re talking about are a subset of the U.S.,” Malone said. “I don’t see how at this point they can catch the scale to be able to position themselves to be that powerful relative to the distribution of entertainment content.”
MacDailyNews Take: Apple has over one billion iPhones and well over 1.5 billion devices in use worldwide, most of which are capable of running the Apple TV app.
Those who can wrap their heads around Apple’s massive cash mountain and the company’s unparalleled ability to generate cash can clearly see who the winner will be. The most talented producers, writers, directors, editors, actors, etc. are attracted to exactly what Apple has and makes in vast abundance: Cash. The king. Like bears to honey, it’s happening already. — MacDailyNews, January 3, 2018
Really good points.
People tend to not realize the legacy television world is incredibly encumbered by the fragmentation of markets. It’s an issue Netflix and Apple (iTunes) bumped into regularly in the early days as they tried to buy content. Now that Netflix, Apple, and Amazon are commissioning original content, it’s not an issue. The networks themselves have been largely constrained by geography (network reach, licensing, scale), and that will keep holding them back. Except for perhaps a luck few, really don’t see the networks surviving long term. Why have a sports network when fans can get a better experience from MLB directly? Why have a kids network when Apple cranks out as many top-tier children’s shows as a specially network? Stranger Things would have been an anchor property on a cable network filled with filler. On Netflix it almost gets lost in the mix.
It seems as though Roku is getting the most interest from investors despite Roku not being all that profitable. I don’t really understand that part, but I’m not going to lose sleep over it. I think that because Roku has so many streaming devices at such low prices, investors believe Roku will gain the most market share. Apple will likely end up in last place because it charges much more for AppleTV devices. I have always used the high-end Roku devices for years and they work perfectly, so that’s all that most people care about.
The article provides me with lots of good information and values, helps me expand my knowledge and learn a lot.
directions maps