Right now, set-top boxes are devices that give access to a laundry list of content providers, but red tape, subscription services, and whatever else from TV providers/networks can cause some issues for some box owners.
The Federal Communications Commission in the United States is looking to change that, one big battle at a time. The first of which is a new proposal that would essentially aim to disconnect cable subscriptions from the set-top boxes that are found all over the United States. What this means for the viewer is that they’d be able to watch any paid-for subscription cable content from any set-top box they wanted. That means a COX subscriber could avoid renting that set-top cable box the company provides, and instead just use their Apple TV 4 instead — and still enjoy all of the content they’ve come to expect from COX’s box.
This is a step in the right direction for those that want to avoid the cable set-top box, and just go with something like Apple’s option, but it’s not exactly the answer that Apple itself has been looking for when it comes to its oft-rumored TV service. This new proposal wouldn’t give Apple control over the content it offers through its set-top box (at least, not any more than it already has with app approval), it is at least a move towards set-top boxes that aren’t offered by cable companies being the gateway to content.
This isn’t the first time that something akin to this has existed, though. Last year saw the end to support for what was known as CableCard, an initiative that saw TIVO set-top boxes capable of providing cable-specific content to their viewers. However, that failed because the providers ultimately stopped working on providing a simple method of getting that content to TIVO owners. It’s no secret that cable providers, and even the networks beyond them, want control over content, especially as it streams through their devices, so this new proposal is facing quite a battle.
In the set-top box market, you should have options that #competition provides. Let’s let innovators create & then let #consumers choose.
— Tom Wheeler (@TomWheelerFCC) January 27, 2016
It will be interesting to see if this goes anywhere, and how it impacts the future of distribution for TV content.
[via The Verge]
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