VirtualCableOperator
Latest
Intel's TV service aims at Nielsen, big cable, might not get here
Reuters is reporting that Intel's mooted virtual television network has hit the buffers because it can't beat its cable rivals spending. The company is eyeing up the $100 million TV business with a set-top-box and over-the-top service that would offer smaller, cheaper bundles of channels rather than the hundreds that come with a basic cable subscription. It would leverage its facial recognition technology in the system both by offering precise ratings data to networks and by showing targeted adverts to whoever it can see is watching. The former will surely annoy Nielsen, a player with plenty of its own influence in the industry. Despite hiring a quartet of industry heavyweights to help negotiations, studios are refusing to offer discounts to a new and untried entrant, meaning we may not see the service arriving by that planned November launch date.
Intel plans branded IPTV service, could launch by end of 2012
In a shift that would see its familiar brand move from the inside out, Intel's reportedly in talks to create an IPTV service that could rival current subscription offerings from cable and satellite. According to the Wall Street Journal, the venture would deliver programming via household internet connections and has the personal backing of CEO Paul Otellini, signaling a consumer-facing shift for the typically behind-the-scenes company. The proposed service, which would bear the Intel brand, is still far from a concrete reality, but the chipmaker has held several talks with content companies to secure carriage deals, as well as demo its proprietary set-top box and navigation UI. So far no programmers have signed on for the "virtual cable operator," putting the outfit's tentative end-of-year 2012 date into question.
