Charlie Ergen: Dish’s Blockbuster Didn’t Have “Guts” To Challenge Netflix

[dfergie]

Meanwhile, “we were too late” to the streaming business. “Under the radar [Netflix] got critical mass and [now] can buy any program that they want to,” Ergen says. “We didn’t have the guts to buy the content and start from scratch.”
Source & More: Deadline

 

[Juan]

he doesnt want to spend any money

 

[Neutron]

he doesnt want to spend any money

Bingo!

 

[Scherrman]

he doesnt want to spend any money

Seriously? Have you seen how much he's spent on investments in the last couple years? Why do so many people on here think he is such a terrible person?

 

[dare2be]

Don't let facts get in the way of a blanket assertion.

 

[Yespage]

Amazon Prime came after Netflix, so clearly Netflix isn't "critical mass". And they lost the Disney catalog, so they are hardly invincible. The question is, if they really thought they could transform a limited VOD system that Blockerbuster had into a bandwidth juggernaut that Amazon and Netflix have. I'm not certain why they would even want to have tried. What was to gain?

A terrestrial OTA video and internet service is the future... Netflix was already invented.

 

[Claude Greiner]

So basically blockbuster failed because they didnt want to spend the money on the content.

 

[GaryPen]

Seriously? Have you seen how much he's spent on investments in the last couple years? Why do so many people on here think he is such a terrible person?

He does often penny-pinch in areas that need the money spent, while blowing huge wads of cash on poor investments.

Some of those investments may have had possibilities. But, as was the case with BB, the proper followup investments and decisions weren't made after the initial purchase.

 

[Teehar]

The man behind the Hopper ad-skipping DVR — being challenged in court by broadcasters who say it violates their copyrights — also got some laughs by noting that Netflix has no commercials. “They’re not getting sued. You can watch 60 Minutes in 40 minutes.”

At least he has a sense of humor! No one is perfect,I would be willing to bet Charlie would admit to several mistakes throughout his business career but,he has had far more hits than misses.

 

[Juan]

Seriously? Have you seen how much he's spent on investments in the last couple years? Why do so many people on here think he is such a terrible person?

it wasn't an insult..he just didn't want to spend the money

 

[televisionarchives]

I agree with his statements about people cutting the cord and the all or nothing pay TV packages. I predict that Cable and Satellite will have to change to survive. Look at how many channels we have and how little we watch most of them. People in my area can afford Pay TV but many of them have dropped it much to my surprise.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I would not surprise me to see a NETFLIX app on the Hopper this year... (And actually it would make me very happy if they added it!)

 

[Neutron]

You can't compare Netflix and the AutoHop. We pay for the Netflix service. They have contracts in place for the content they provide.

 

[Mochuf]

And they lost the Disney catalog, so they are hardly invincible.

Err, they lost the Starz catalog, which happened to have Disney movies. Netflix has just acquired the Disney catalog without Starz. The full contract doesn't take effect until 2016 though. Happily though, the Disney movies now on the service look a whole lot better now than when they were under the Starz brand.

A terrestrial OTA video and internet service is the future... Netflix was already invented.

Sadly I don't know about the ota part. The FCC is trying their best to take as much bandwith from ota stations as possible


I agree about Charlie not wanting to spend money on Blockbuster. Dish originally said that they would keep the strongest stores open and maybe even open new stores. Sadly, it looks like once a lease is up, that store is gone. Regardless if that store is profitable or not. The only investment I saw at my local BBV's was the installation of the H/J system.

 

[Bobby]

I would not surprise me to see a NETFLIX app on the Hopper this year... (And actually it would make me very happy if they added it!)

Gosh, then I'd have it on my Hopper, Sharp HDTV, Panasonic Bluray player, and ROKU!

 

[gpollock87]

I will be upset if i can't get my discs by mail!

 

[KAB]

I will be upset if i can't get my discs by mail!

And who of any authority said you won't?

 

[gpollock87]

And who of any authority said you won't?

No one yet. It sure does look like BB may be done away with

 

[Teehar]

gpollock's spidey senses must be tingling.

 

[navychop]

I fear you may be right. A few vibrations on that spidernet.....