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