More on DISH / VOOM

[BobMurdoch]

There just aren't that many HD users yet to justify the business model. I'm sure Mark Cuban is taking a bath on HDNet right now, but he has deep pockets and the channel doesn't cost as much to operate as V* does (and he doesn't have to spend $600 to acquire a subscriber like E* and D* does (much less the $56,000 PER SUBSCRIBER that V* has spent so far.......)

 

[jsanders]

WHO is going to pour $500 Million a year into a service that the market has deafeningly shown to not want?

They would need at least another 0 on the end of the subscriber numbers (260,000 instead of 26,000) to even hold ANY hope. Another case of the pioneer being killed while the guy who swoops in and buys the assets on the cheap makes out (see the Iridium Satellite Phone debacle for a similar situation)

Not necessarily true. The market isn't saying they don't want the Voom service, they are just saying they don't want Boom! People are clammoring for HD, but there is a herd mentality. The herd never got big enough to gain critical mass. I've heard people say they like boom, but didn't want to subscribe until they were sure that voom wouldn't go Boom! Look at the reasons behind the demise of Boom. It isn't because of lack of HD content or anything! I suspect that there were lots of potential customers, many of which were just afraid to join.

 

[jsanders]

There just aren't that many HD users yet to justify the business model. I'm sure Mark Cuban is taking a bath on HDNet right now, but he has deep pockets and the channel doesn't cost as much to operate as V* does (and he doesn't have to spend $600 to acquire a subscriber like E* and D* does (much less the $56,000 PER SUBSCRIBER that V* has spent so far.......)

Why do you think Mark Cuban is "taking a bath on HDNet right now"? Most of the shows they produce are very low budget. Take "True Music" for instance. The hostess has admitted on the air that they only film bands at venues where they aren't charged anything. They don't travel anywhere, the whole show is just filming (mostly) unsigned artists at clubs at some town in Texas (Houston or Austin??). All they need is HD cameras. HDNet world report is a great show, and they do have a travel budget, but is still a lower budget show. Mark sells HDNet to Dish and DirecTV (not Boom!), the price he gets for it will set his budget. He can make a business plan for it that at least breaks even.

 

[Bobby]

Why do you think Mark Cuban is "taking a bath on HDNet right now"? Most of the shows they produce are very low budget. Take "True Music" for instance. The hostess has admitted on the air that they only film bands at venues where they aren't charged anything. They don't travel anywhere, the whole show is just filming (mostly) unsigned artists at clubs at some town in Texas (Houston or Austin??). All they need is HD cameras. HDNet world report is a great show, and they do have a travel budget, but is still a lower budget show. Mark sells HDNet to Dish and DirecTV (not Boom!), the price he gets for it will set his budget. He can make a business plan for it that at least breaks even.

Hmmmm.... The Doobie Brothers is a no name band that plays at a no name venue called Wolf Trap.... Enough said......

 

[gpflepsen]

Hmmmm.... The Doobie Brothers is a no name band that plays at a no name venue called Wolf Trap.... Enough said......

Oh come on now, he's talking about "True Music" specifically.

Other great music acts (their own special) included Heart.

 

[Stargazer]

If VoOm was smart they would have tried to get enough existing satellite retailers to sign up as a retailer for them. Even if they got as little as 1 in 10 sales starting out of what DirecTv and Dish Network would be getting that would still be new subsribers up in the hundreds of thousands per year then grow beyond that gaining some Dish Network and DirecTv customers along the way.

 

[Kevinw]

Hmmmm.... The Doobie Brothers is a no name band that plays at a no name venue called Wolf Trap.... Enough said......

The Doobie Bros are a no name band??? I may not care for there music but they are not a NO name band http://www.doobiebros.com/
Wolf Trap is a well known small venue http://www.wolf-trap.org/
Granted you will not see Linkin Park or Metallica but you will see some great artist there.

 

[Bobby]

Kevin,

I was being sarcastic. I read the original posters comments as saying that HDNet only had up and coming bands playing at out the way venues. The gist was that Marc Cuban wasn't spening much money that way. I was trying to show the other side of the coin. I liked the Doobies show so much that I bought the DVD.

 

[bpasker]

same story, different day. I would look for this to go into effect as they transition to mpeg4 and then they can use the extra sat to shoot out the mpeg4 hd. which means no new hd or other channels. just my lousy good for nothing opinion.

 

[Kevinw]

Kevin,

I was being sarcastic. I read the original posters comments as saying that HDNet only had up and coming bands playing at out the way venues. The gist was that Marc Cuban wasn't spening much money that way. I was trying to show the other side of the coin. I liked the Doobies show so much that I bought the DVD.

Ok good You had me freaked-- For a minute I felt like the odest person on the forum... I saw the Dobbies in 1976

 

[jsanders]

I was being sarcastic. I read the original posters comments as saying that HDNet only had up and coming bands playing at out the way venues. The gist was that Marc Cuban wasn't spening much money that way. I was trying to show the other side of the coin. I liked the Doobies show so much that I bought the DVD.

Yea, as I said before, I was referring to the show "True Music". Tell me then, what episode of "True Music" featured a full Doobie Brothers concert? Especially, since it is a 30 minute show which features mostly unsigned artists at filmed at venues that don't charge HDNet in Cuban's back yard, in Texas.

So, what about when they show HD concerts on HDNet?? Those shows also show up on Boom!, I believe it is the Bravo Channel, and I've seen them on PBS. Aside from them showing up in other places, they can be downrezzed and distributed on a DVD, which you claim to have bought. Are you telling me now that Mark Cuban doesn't make money on any of that (provided he actually produced those concerts)?

 

[Kevinw]

David Allen Coe at Billy Bob in Ft worth