At the "State of the Net" conference this morning, Alan Murray of The Wall Street Journal interviewed Brian Roberts, Chairman & CEO of Comcast. Here are some highlights. [You can follow all of my live Tweeting at: @AdamThierer]
- Stresses synergies from combination of Comcast cable channels & NBC broadcast properties (ex: Golf Channel & NBC Sports)
- Program access rules "should give fair amount of comfort" to critics who fear that content will be withheld
- "Businesses have to transform & reinvent themselves all the time" NBC part of that transformation for Comcast
- Internet is more friend than foe; broadband has transformed the business for the better
- Businesses grappling w/ ways to extend traditional services to consumers in new ways & still make $$$ (ex: TV Everywhere)
- still not certain if the Hulu business model works; wonders where revenue will come
- says that broadcasting still has a role & big audience, although it may decrease over time as kids flock away to cable
- Need to deal with copyright piracy; Comcast-NBC will be chance to address it from both sides of problem
- Net neutrality principles fine, but regulation will go too far; no need for it; Net & innovation growing rapidly
- NN debate often driven by irrational fears; no carrier wants to block services that could bring customers
- defers question about whether he will follow Rupert Murdoch's lead in asking Google for compensation for content
- cybersecurity in tomorrow's world is as important as physical security has been in the past."
- Doubts that 3D TV will be killer app since most people will not want to sit around all day with glasses on
- targeted advertising can give consumers more relevant ads & allow interaction (= secret to Google's success)
- targeted ads on TV are being held back by old set-top boxes (STBs); need for modernization of STBs; next gen of STBs should have capability