Rutledge: Over-The-Top Could Help Moderate Rising Content Costs
Over-the-top programming, the source of many a content distributor's nightmares, could help moderate rising programming costs in the future, Cablevision Systems chief operating officer Tom Rutledge told an audience at an industry conference Thursday.
"The rich [programming] package we provide is extremely valuable to customers and there is pricing power in that package," Rutledge said at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media , Communications and Entertainment conference in Beverly Hills, Calif. "On the other hand, you have people experimenting with over-the-top television, which if successful would tend to make that package less stable, which will change the balance of costs. I'm not sure how that goes."
Asked about a la carte programming, Rutledge said he would offer every network ala carte if he could, but the programmers won't allow it.
The television industry's top news stories, analysis and blogs of the day.
Thank you for signing up to Broadcasting & Cable. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.