I'm All (rabbit) Ears

As mentioned here previously, one of the key areas I think is ripe for mass cell phone adoption is television and/or streaming media with all the relevant genres and content types (movies, clips, shorts, mobisodes, minisodes, snips and any number of other concoctions). Mobile handset functionality improvements, broadband price rate reductions and growing consumer demand are forcing the major players to meet eyeball-to-eyeball to hammer out ways to satisfy that demand. Backstopping every aspect of these discussions is the old adage - "It ain't the money." "It's the money!"

RCR Wireless' Matt Kapko peeked in on the Las Vegas NATPE show to learn first hand how some of the combatants see the landscape developing.

Some of the more frank comments came from NBC Universal President and CEO Jeff Zucker. Seems Mr. Zucker "didn’t mince words in this morning’s keynote here at NATPE when he described the struggle his company is facing as it watches traditional lines of thinking fall by the wayside.

“The tumult is likely to continue,” he said. “It has been a great run, but today we need a different message.”

Zucker acknowledged that a significant portion of the industry is under pressure and that the status quo will ultimately lead to failure. Change often requires a catalyst, he said, and in November Hollywood got one in the form of the writers’ strike that has brought much of the industry to a grinding halt.

Zucker admits he doesn’t have all the answers, yet says he’s committed to experimenting with new approaches to long-standing norms in the industry.

Zucker also talked about continuing to embrace new distribution platforms in mobile and online. “We have to be everywhere,” he said, but didn’t elaborate on future plans.

“We’re starting to see mobile devices live up to their promise” of un-tethering consumers’ TV-viewing experience from the home, he said.

According to reports, Zucker said the mobile-phone industry needs to cut entertainment companies better deals for providing content to handsets.

Full article here.