VOOM Goes BOOM - update Dish Drops all 15 VOOM Channels
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They do. That was my point. Some at Cablevision don't even seem like they want to keep Voom around.
It seems most agree. Voom should be condensed. But Cablevision is the only one that can do that. Charlie can't make that happen.
Why?
The rest of the world is buying Voom products.
HDNews unfortunately is pointless without US distribution.
Find myself watching very little TV since Voom disappeared.
It's painful to still see Rave, Rush and Gallery promos at COSTCO.
Who ever picks them up in the states, I will follow.
If you ask me (and no one did, so I guess I'm just volunteering... 
)
If you ask me, Voom and Echostar sabotaged each other and themselves. In the beginning, Voom the TV provider marketted itself toward the HD elitists, the early adopters, the bleeding edge...basically us. And naturally while Voom peaked a lot of our interest, many of us weren't ready to gamble a 1000 dollar equipment investment on a dicey start-up. I know I was hesitant...
Well, when Dish picked up the Voom satellite and programming, they were going too were going for the HD elitists and early adopters. And of course the made Voom an exclusive offering, nobody anywhere else had anything close, at it worked for a while. However E*s desire wound up sabotaging Voom, because while Voom was exclusively available on E*, it wound up retaining its elite status while slowly removing itself from the mainstream. And in any instance when that happen, the mainstream will always have its following, the elite niche will always have its loyalists, and there will always be conflict between the two factions as the elite niche continues to believe in its superiority while the mainstream niche believes the elite niche is over-rated and clings to its popularity to re-enforce their beliefs. However at the end of the day, no matter how great the treasure of the elite niche may be, it will inevitably loose to the mainstream, because life whether we like it or not is a numbers game. And this doesn't just apply to Voom, I'm sure may of the proponents of any elite technolgy (HD-DVD) or television progamming feel the same way when what they love just never really catches on and goes bye-bye...
So yes, in my opinion...with E* retaining exclusive rights to Voom, and Voom's ultimate failure to market itself better when then had the chance, Doomed Voom to go Boom because when other mainstream channels starting going HD all over the place, the general public KNEW they liked Nick, CNN, Speed, SciFi, etc...knew they would like them even better in HD, and sadly great channels like GalleryHD, MonstersHD, and UltraHD were just names to them. And many people would rather stick with the familiar than experiment with the unknown. And thats why the mainstream remains the mainstream...
Thats why I say Voom would need to rebrand itself in order to stay alive. Those that loved it still love it, and those who don't love it, hate it, or have never seen it, have quite decisively made up their mind that they do not want or or need it. Its doubthful that anyone except for the dedicated few like myself, are going to go out of their way for Voom programming any time soon, and its equally doubtful that they would ever have the momentum at this point to attract any new viewers. A re-branding is necessary if Voom ever wants to get out of the shadow of just being considered an elitist niche offering...
)If you ask me, Voom and Echostar sabotaged each other and themselves. In the beginning, Voom the TV provider marketted itself toward the HD elitists, the early adopters, the bleeding edge...basically us.
And naturally while Voom peaked a lot of our interest, many of us weren't ready to gamble a 1000 dollar equipment investment on a dicey start-up. I know I was hesitant...Well, when Dish picked up the Voom satellite and programming, they were going too were going for the HD elitists and early adopters. And of course the made Voom an exclusive offering, nobody anywhere else had anything close, at it worked for a while. However E*s desire wound up sabotaging Voom, because while Voom was exclusively available on E*, it wound up retaining its elite status while slowly removing itself from the mainstream. And in any instance when that happen, the mainstream will always have its following, the elite niche will always have its loyalists, and there will always be conflict between the two factions as the elite niche continues to believe in its superiority while the mainstream niche believes the elite niche is over-rated and clings to its popularity to re-enforce their beliefs. However at the end of the day, no matter how great the treasure of the elite niche may be, it will inevitably loose to the mainstream, because life whether we like it or not is a numbers game. And this doesn't just apply to Voom, I'm sure may of the proponents of any elite technolgy (HD-DVD) or television progamming feel the same way when what they love just never really catches on and goes bye-bye...
So yes, in my opinion...with E* retaining exclusive rights to Voom, and Voom's ultimate failure to market itself better when then had the chance, Doomed Voom to go Boom because when other mainstream channels starting going HD all over the place, the general public KNEW they liked Nick, CNN, Speed, SciFi, etc...knew they would like them even better in HD, and sadly great channels like GalleryHD, MonstersHD, and UltraHD were just names to them. And many people would rather stick with the familiar than experiment with the unknown. And thats why the mainstream remains the mainstream...
Thats why I say Voom would need to rebrand itself in order to stay alive. Those that loved it still love it, and those who don't love it, hate it, or have never seen it, have quite decisively made up their mind that they do not want or or need it. Its doubthful that anyone except for the dedicated few like myself, are going to go out of their way for Voom programming any time soon, and its equally doubtful that they would ever have the momentum at this point to attract any new viewers. A re-branding is necessary if Voom ever wants to get out of the shadow of just being considered an elitist niche offering...
From what I understand, there is voom programming available in other countries, I think its called Oasis-HD but I'd need to start googling before I can say that with any certainty...
But either way, I wouldn't necessarily call Voom a global phenomenon just yet.
Its possible. I am not aware of it, and that doesnt make it untrue. I was simply questioning the way he made it sound. Like the whole rest of the world was watching it, and we werent.
Anything you turn up would be worth reading in the subject
Anything you turn up would be worth reading in the subject
VOOM HD Networks comprise the world's largest suite of high-definition channels for distribution through satellite and cable operators. Produced exclusively in true high-definition and 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound, VOOM HD Networks carry programming in categories as diverse as sports, movies, fashion, music and art. VOOM HD Networks' 15 HDTV channels are available in the U.S. on Echostar's DISH Network and Cablevision's iO digital cable service. A 24/7 linear VOOM HD channel is available internationally and is currently distributed in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Select VOOM HD programming is also available worldwide and has been licensed for exhibition in more than 150 countries. Building on Rainbow Media Holdings LLC's history of original programming innovation, VOOM HD was developed to meet the growing worldwide demand for quality high-definition programming.
http://www.hybridtechnologies.com/20080421
http://www.hybridtechnologies.com/20080421
So yes, in my opinion...with E* retaining exclusive rights to Voom, and Voom's ultimate failure to market itself better when then had the chance, Doomed Voom to go Boom because when other mainstream channels starting going HD all over the place, the general public KNEW they liked Nick, CNN, Speed, SciFi, etc...knew they would like them even better in HD, and sadly great channels like GalleryHD, MonstersHD, and UltraHD were just names to them. And many people would rather stick with the familiar than experiment with the unknown. And thats why the mainstream remains the mainstream...
Thats why I say Voom would need to rebrand itself in order to stay alive. Those that loved it still love it, and those who don't love it, hate it, or have never seen it, have quite decisively made up their mind that they do not want or or need it. Its doubthful that anyone except for the dedicated few like myself, are going to go out of their way for Voom programming any time soon, and its equally doubtful that they would ever have the momentum at this point to attract any new viewers. A re-branding is necessary if Voom ever wants to get out of the shadow of just being considered an elitist niche offering...
Dish never had "exclusive" rights to Voom. They were always on cablevision. And they could have marketed themselves to other providers. There was only one restriction: if another company got a better deal, they had to let Dish match it. Which to me was fair.
Voom decided that they would rather sit on their hands with what they thought was a "guaranteed" source of income, trying to exploit what they thought was a loophole ($100M on whatever, not on programming, so they thought) rather than marketing themselves to other providers. That was Voom's failure and Voom's alone. For the same reasons Voom didn't bother marketing to the public. Up until Feb, anyone who signed up for Dish HD programming had to get Voom. They decided it was easier to sit on their hands than market. Thus, they never became popular. A Voom failing.
As for "worldwide" distribution, some have one, or as many as 3 channels, bujt no where else is there the entire suite. I have aways found it odd they are willing to break up the channels for other countries, but not for the US. Again, another Voom failing.
Unfortunately the Voom situation again makes us in the US look like we don't appreciate, culture, design, music, eclectic cinema and sports as much as others. That stupid idea, you have to dumb it down or we don't understand it.
Dish was stupid in not leveraging more out of these upscale channels by not marketing harder to the upscale consumers, the ones who pay top dollar and on time. In fact I never saw a Dish promotion of the Voom Suite. They bought it and sat on their hands, coasting thinking there was no need to work the situation.
Dish was stupid in not leveraging more out of these upscale channels by not marketing harder to the upscale consumers, the ones who pay top dollar and on time. In fact I never saw a Dish promotion of the Voom Suite. They bought it and sat on their hands, coasting thinking there was no need to work the situation.
Once again you are passing your opinion off as fact. Unless you worked for VOOM marketing and distribution you don't know that they weren't working on other deals. Just like you don't know how much was spent on producing content. All you know is what Dish is claiming and you seem to make up the rest to fit you pet theory.
Mario
The link is dated at a time when they were offered on Dish. It may not be relevant now. Are there any sub numbers abroad for now? What you had in bold also has SELECT in the sentence. Can anyone clarify?
Just a theory that fits the facts. If Voom really wanted to be carried elsewhere, don't you think they would have? And Voom fully admitted in their court filings that they spent less than $100M a year. And they admit they included overhead cost in their determination of the required spending.
And yes, they could have been working on other deals. But unless they were reasonale in their expectations, the deal wouldn't get done. Like I said, it takes 2 to tango, and it seems no one, not Time warner, Comcast, Uverse, Fios, or DirecTV can work out a deal to carry any Voom network.
What is your explanation as to why no Voom channel has turned up on any other provider?
But it's still just easiest to put all the balme on Charlie, isn't it?
Please, show me where I've put the blame on anyone. I've said all along that without access to the contracts we don't have enough information to make a determination about who is at fault. However, there are two sides to the lawsuit the courts will decide who was at fault. Making stuff up because it fits your personal interpretation of the facts doesn't prove anything except that you're biased.
Mario
Um...if my memory serves me correctly, I believe that when Voom went bankrupt, E* not only baught the Rainbow1 but interest in Voom as a business, and it WAS exclusive to E* for those reasons. I'm not saying that my memory is perfect, but thats what I recall...
Other reasons that have been attributed to Voom's lack of carraige have been bandwidth issues...few providers can afford the bandwidth for the required 15 additional HD channels, and as previously stated...Voom is usually 'all or nothing' with regards to carrying those 15...
But like I said previously, I blame Voom's poor marketing overall. They never pushed Voom into mainstream consideration even when they had the chance. If there was better marketing and more visibility so people actually KNEW what Voom offered, the demand may have been much higher. Unfortunately, nobody ever say anything beyond a simple Voom demo at costco and sears...
But for what its worth, Voom was a recovering start-up trying to re-invent themselves as a content provider. I don't believe their intentions are as sinister as you try to make them sound. Money had to have been tight in that operation...its probably even tighter now...
Unfortunalely you aren't far from the truth. Many of us don't appreciate those things. Remember, we have many HD elitists around here who have stuck with a then-lame provider for years just to watch lots and lots of football.
doesn't speak much for culture now, does it...
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