[Mark Holtz]

From DailyTech:

ESPN Turns Tables on ISPs by Demanding They Pay for Content

Net neutrality has for several years been touted as a sort of desperate stand by the internet's independent content providers to fight telecoms from charging for the right to use bandwidth. Its proponents have warned that if unchecked, telecoms may create fast lanes, essentially destroying smaller sites that cannot pay, and crippling internet entrepreneurship.

Now the tables have turned on the ISPs in what may be a growing new trend. ESPN is leading a push for internet content providers to charge ISPs for the right to use their sites. ESPN says that the ISPs must pay to allow their users to play its video content. Those that don't comply won't get access to the popular service.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

In my area, I have a choice between Comcast broadband and Surewest DSL. Verizon is not an option. Comcast does not offer ESPN360 through their ISP, and I can't even check Surewest. Of course, I don't watch E$PN anyways, so I really don't care.

 

[deltafowler]

Isn't this the same old road they and others tried going down some years ago, with paid access, just with a different approach?
It failed then and it will fail again now.

 

[Fontano]

So the ISP industry is going to become similar to the TV distribution industry.

You have to pick your carrier based on what content they can access?

And just like the TV distribution industry, you don't always have a choice on who you can use.

This is crazy. If ESPN is hurting that bad for funds:
Don't pay those absurb contract amounts for the right to carry exclusive content (people are going to watch ESPN anyway)
Move some of your hot popular content to a pay area, or get someone to sponsor that area.

 

[hdtvfan0001]

So the ISP industry is going to become similar to the TV distribution industry.

You have to pick your carrier based on what content they can access?

And just like the TV distribution industry, you don't always have a choice on who you can use.

This is crazy. If ESPN is hurting that bad for funds:
Don't pay those absurb contract amounts for the right to carry exclusive content (people are going to watch ESPN anyway)
Move some of your hot popular content to a pay area, or get someone to sponsor that area.

A separate ESPN PPV channel...now there's an idea...

 

[Lee L]

Wow, I thought that the reasons some ISPs did not have ESPN360 access was because they did not want that huge video drain on their networks not that it was ESPN that was keeping it from them.

We have watched quite a few games on ESPN360 using a computer hooked up to the TV thourgh the PC input. However, I hate that this is happening. I have no issue with ESPN charging people directly to access special content, but to start dividing the Internet like this by ISP is crappy. It was the one place that you can actually choose what you want without someone else screwing you out of it. It will truly suck if we have to choose a provider like you said Fontano. Or if you have to sub to 2 different ISPs to get the content you want.

 

[Steve615]

A separate ESPN PPV channel...now there's an idea...

A PPV or an On Demand channel might work out for them.
Either way,I wouldn't be buying anything they're selling...

 

[hdtvfan0001]

A PPV or an On Demand channel might work out for them.
Either way,I wouldn't be buying anything they're selling...

Ditto.

 

[deltafowler]

A PPV or an On Demand channel might work out for them.
Either way,I wouldn't be buying anything they're selling...

Nor would I, but any measure of success on their part would insure that others would likely follow the model and try to make a buck as well.
As far as I can tell the ONLY successful PPV sites have been in the porn industry. :nono2:

 

[BattleZone]

ESPN --> Epic Fail.

 

[rudeney]

Wow, I thought that the reasons some ISPs did not have ESPN360 access was because they did not want that huge video drain on their networks not that it was ESPN that was keeping it from them.

Actually, it's the opposite. ESPN doesn't want to have to provide a connection to every user that wants to view its content. instead, it wants to push one feed to each ISP, then have the ISP deal with feeding it to all its customers. This isn't so much about ESPN wanting revenue from ISP's as it's about making sure the ISP's properly distribute the feed. It's really beginning to blur the lines between what we think of in terms of "broadcast TV" and "web-based video".

 

[dodge boy]

Is this why I get ESPN360 through AT&T and my G/F can't through Embarq?

 

[sum_random_dork]

did anyone catch that MLB and ESPN are not teaming up to offer video via the MLB website and ESPN "insider" content. According to the webiste there will also be a deal to have both MLB and NHL video via the MLB.tv website. There is a bit more info on this new setup at the awful announcing website.