Mass Communications Exam 2 - Cable CH12

The cable system was dominated by large

Multiple System Operators (MSOs) - which made the locally owned cable systems disappear.

John Walson

worked at a furniture store selling TV's but none of them would pick up signal in his town. therefore he put a large antenna on a mountain and it worked! This was called Community Access Television. This is where the idea of cable came from

Does cable have user generated content?

yes. They are turning towards user generated video.

What are cord cutters?

Those who once had cable but decide to cut it off and begin streaming with Apple, Netflix, Hulu, etc.

Internet TV, or webcasting, is

when a computer stores video signals and plays the signals back, even when new incoming signals are coming in (called buffering).

How do cable companies make money?

- Subscriptions to cable - local advertisers - average revenue per user (ARPU)

Defining features of cable, satellite, and internet TV:

- users must have at least one extra piece of equipment - users must pay - channels appeal to highly differentiated audiences

3 main components in a cable system:

-head end: the equipment that receives and processes TV signals -distribution system: cables that deliver the signals -house drop: the part connecting the feeder cable to the TV set

3 major sources of programming for a national cable operator:

-original productions -movies -syndicated programs

Satellite systems contain five elements:

1. content providers: send their signals 2. broadcast centers: take the content and transmit it 3. geosynchronous communication satellites: take programs and send them back out 4. small satellite receiving dishes: pick up the signal and transmit it 5. satellite receivers: transforms the signal for viewing on the TV set

The average time spent watching online videos a day is

10-20 minutes

Cable TV began in the

1950's. It was a way to bring TV to those in isolated areas that could not otherwise receive the signals

Satellite TV came of age in

1976

What is ARPU?

Average Revenue per user. Cable companies were asking themselves how they could make more money from people that were already paying for cable. They began to charge for on-demand, HBO, etc.

Two major satellite companies

DirecTV and Dish Network

What did Ted Turner do?

He owned WTCZ (later TBS) and bought the Braves team (Turner field). He found a way to live-stream baseball to TV and this was a first. He took a local station and made it national. He also bought CNN and created 24 hr news.

Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS)

They became competition to cable because they didn't need permission to run wires because they were just installing satellites. they were able to send a signal directly to the home. this still wasn't full proof though because cable had the upper hand since they could receive local channels and satellite couldn't

An online video site can make money by:

Subscription fees, merchandising, advertising, and a combination of the above

Franchise Agreement

agreement between company (like Charter) and the city, that allows the cable company to come into the city and run wires. This is expensive and you need permission

The cable and satellite industry is smaller than the broadcast TV industry and the number of employees working in internet TV is unknown. The job outlook is that

all of the above, especially in internet video, is more positive than any other media

Voice-Over-Internet protocol (VOIP)

alternative to traditional phone lines

Pay services

commercial-free channels that typically provide movies and original programming. EX: HBO

must carry

congress said to cable companies that they must carry all of the local channels

Superstations

local stations whose signals are carried by many systems nationwide

Microcasting

refers to sending a message to a small group of interested people

special cable networks

services distributed by satellite to cable systems - most are advertiser supported. EX: MTV, Weather Channel

Pay Per View

started well but has fallen. It shows recent films, special sports, and entertainment events. Subscribers pay for the programs.

Retransmission consent

the local station had the right to negotiate compensation for carriage of its signal Those fees that are charged are called carriage fees

Geosynchronous satellites

they compress satellite signals to allow a greater number of channels to be transmitted