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Ask a politician and they’ll tell you, consistency in policy and staying on point is essential. Stick to the Message.  If you flip flop from pro to con, then con to pro, credibility will disappear.  Without credibility, there’s little trust.  Without trust there’s won’t be a favorable vote.    In retail, similar maxims apply.  There’s the famous “the customer is always right.” There’s also the old “K.I.S.S.” principle: “keep it simple.”  You can confuse your customer with too many changes, or too many choices.  That’s bad marketing.  Better practice is to offer them value, offer them what they ask for; what they want or need.  Do that and they’ll probably purchase your product.  Don’t and the sale is going to be difficult to close.   

Lately, it seems more and more like Sony (especially the gaming division) has gotten off point, or keeps forgetting the message.  Since launching the PS3 gaming platform in November 2006, they’ve made multiple marketing mistakes and repeatedly juggled their lineup and pricing models to adjust.  I can recall at least three changes in the console’s first year on the market.  Now they’re at it again.

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Friday, Warner Brother’s crashed HD DVD’s CES party with the shocking last-minute announcement that they’d throw their support behind the rival Blu Ray DVD format.  It was bad news for Toshiba and their HD DVD technology, really bad news.  It was like being told they had six months to live.  Prognosis: terminal. 

Warner’s decision meant 5 out of 7 major Hollywood movie studios were supporting the Sony developed next generation DVD format.  Short of a miraculous comeback, Warner Brother’s ended the format war.  Now, added revelations are suggesting Sony may be able to add insult to injury and claim a landslide, possibly even, a unanimous victory in the Blu Ray vs HD DVD battle by June (when the Warner’s decision will go into effect).

Universal and Paramount are the two studios not yet in Sony’s pocket.  Wednesday, Daily Variety confirmed that Universal’s agreement to back HD DVD has ended. That frees the studio to change camps at any time should they choose.  Click to Read More

Microsoft opened the Consumer Electronics Show with the boast that their Xbox Live on-demand platform would soon offer more than double the number of titles available on demand from Cable and Satellite providers.  Not to be out done, Comcast, the nation’s largest cable TV provider (and 2nd largest broadband service provider) used the trade show stage as opportunity to issue a reply.

During another keynote, CEO Brian Roberts unveiled several content initiatives Comcast has planned for 2008. Click to Read More

Terry Semel remains Yahoo’s chairman but since ceding (or relinquishing) executive control to Jerry Yang in June, he’s been largely out of the public eye and off the radar.  In 2008, that may change, albeit in a lower profile way that is unrelated to Yahoo.

Paid Content is reporting Terry’s set to relaunch a “revamped version” of Windsor Media, an investment firm he started in 1999 but abandoned to take on the leadership position at Yahoo in 2001.  So far nobody involved directly has issued any statements but the reports say Drew Buckley, former GM of Yahoo Originals, Jeff Karish, former head of media strategy at Yahoo, and Jimmy Yaffe, managing partner of Endeavor Marketing Solutions are all involved.

Speculation is that Windsor, in its new form, may be similar to Click to Read More

In addition to Bill Gates keynote, Microsoft launched the Consumer Electronics Show Sunday evening with four Television related press releases and product announcements. 

• MGM & Disney/ABC on Xbox Live
Headlining the list was Microsoft’s announcement that, Xbox Live, their internet platform for delivering video on demand through the game console, will soon offer an on-demand library of content double that available through cable and satellite services.   

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In 1970 the Video Cassette recorder was launched at the Consumer Electronics Show.  In 1996, the DVD was revealed. 2003 was the year Blu Ray launched.  This year, Toshiba had big plans for their HD DVD format.   That is, they had big plans until Friday when Warner Brother’s pulled the rug out from under their planned party.   Now, instead of a celebration it’s looking more like a funeral.

For the last year, Sony’s Blu Ray and Toshiba’s HD DVD had been fighting an open, and hostile, battle to claim the title of approved standard for high definition DVD.    Money and incentives were being offered and sides being taken.  In one corner there was Sony backing Blu Ray.   In the other, Toshiba, sponsor of HD DVD.   Movie studios, rental companies and gaming companies were forming alliances.    

Lions Gate, Fox, Disney and MGM had sided with Blu Ray.  Blockbuster was also pushing the disks in its stores.  Microsoft, on the other side, was stumping for HD DVD with the Xbox platform.  So too was Intel.  Warner Brother’s and Paramount were Switzerland. They remained Neutral.

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In October’s 3rd quarter earnings conference call, Netflix’ CEO Reed Hastings spent a few minutes talking to analysts about the slowly converging worlds of video distribution.  In those comments he expressed three long term goals: “one, to expand the content [they] offer online; two, to make it inexpensive and easy for consumers to view that content on the television; and three, to understand what the financial model for the hybrid service will be in the long term.”  Today, Netflix took a step toward realizing goal number two.

Late Wednesday the DVD-by-mail rental service announced a partnership to bring movies straight to the TV over the Internet.  The new service, which will not be available before June, expands on Netflix’ year old “Watch Instantly” functionality by removing the requirement to watch streams through a computer.

The service will rely initially on hardware manufactured and sold by South Korean electronics giant, LG.   Using a dedicated set top box, or equivalent functionality bundled into a DVD player or other hardware Click to Read More