The battle over broadcast TV and the Internet.

Now that I'm free of TV, it seems I'm not the only one who sees its demise coming rather soon -

 

The TV Business Is Toast

 

This article speaks to the heart of the two major battles going on over the Internet. This is because one finds that the same media companies involved in the TV battle are the same ones with a stake in the future of the Internet.

 

1. This pending TV demise is precisely the reason the phone and cable companies are desperately trying to maintain control over the 'pipes' and effectively charge people for various 'speeds'. Without it, they won't be able to maintain control over content.

 

2. And without that control, all the TV business models for the broadcast TV/media companies (both network and cable) will fall apart, as the article suggests. Don't think for a second the media companies don't have a stake in that - recall Barry Diller recently was quoted as saying the only thing from keeping the Internet from being tiered was a 'billing system'. His idea is to turn the Internet into one big store for media companies’ content.

 

As long as the Internet evolution stays out of the hands of industry, government and the military - it won't go the way of broadcast TV.

Dislike tobacco companies? What about life/health insurance companies?

Well if you dislike one or the other, why not combine your loathing and get it all done in one shot?

 

"The study found that the American insurance company Prudential Financial, Inc. has $264.3 million invested in U.S. cigarette makers, including Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds. The Canadian company Sun Life Financial, Inc., which sells life, health and disability insurance, owns over $1 billion worth of stock in tobacco interests, including $890 million in Philip Morris. Prudential Plc, which sells health and disability coverage, has $1.38 billion invested in two tobacco companies, including British American Tobacco."

 

(Sources - http://www.prwatch.org/node/8406; http://www.theprovince.com/Health/Canadian+life+health+insurers+investing+heavily+tobacco+companies/1664704/story.html)

 

Wait, it gets better -

 

"Insurers exclude smokers from coverage or, more commonly, charge them higher premiums. Insurers profit -- and smokers lose -- twice over."

 

And yet there are still people in this country who question the need for a national health care plan.

 

Maybe it's because these private companies make it pretty obvious that their primary goal is profit. And without any motivation to offer competitive comprehensive services, they become monoplies and conglomerates and do things like this.