Washington, D.C.
(March 9, 2007)
--
DIRECTV said in January that it will offer 100 national
High-Definition channels by the end of 2007.
The announcement led some analysts to opine that the cable TV industry would have difficulty competing with DIRECTV for the growing high-def audience. (Most cable operators now offer fewer than 20 national HDTV networks.)
But don't tell that to Melinda Witmer, Time Warner's senior vice president and chief programming officer. In an interview today with TVPredictions.com, Witmer said that Time Warner will have the technical capacity to offer as many channels as DIRECTV.
"I'm 100 percent confident that we will have as compelling a HDTV lineup as DIRECTV," Witmer said.
Time Warner SVP Melinda Witmer
In the interview, Witmer also commented on Time Warner's lawsuit against DIRECTV over its high-def TV commercials; why ESPN2 HD is not available in every Time Warner market; and whether Time Warner will continue to broadcast in analog when the nation switches to Digital TV in February 2009.
Here are the highlights of the TVPredictions.com interview with Time Warner's Melinda Witmer.
TVPredictions: Some industry executives are saying today that DIRECTV's deal with Major League Baseball for the Extra Innings package was rigged to ensure that DIRECTV would get the deal exclusively. What's your opinion?
Melinda Witmer: I haven't read the details of the agreement so I can't comment. I don't know why people are saying it's rigged. It sounds like (cable operators) would have to pay what DIRECTV is paying. So I will say that it's part of a constant evaluation of whether acquiring programming is too expensive or not. Beyond that, I can't say.
TVP: DIRECTV's TV commercials (starring Christopher Lloyd) say that it will soon have three times the HD capacity as cable. Time Warner has sued, saying the commercials are false. Why did Time Warner sue while other cable operators did not?
MW: We will be rolling out Switched Digital Video (a new transmission technology) by the end of the year and that will allow us to offer a lot more channels. So to see the DIRECTV ads that tell consumers that they will have three times the number of channels as cable is not a factual statement...Competition is one thing but Time Warner was not prepared to accept that. I'm 100 percent confident that we will have as compelling a HD lineup as DIRECTV.
Of course, we have to negotiate the deals (with the HDTV networks). You can have the capacity but you still have to negotiate the deals, which is my job...And we are not going to get into the total numbers debate -- you know, which (TV provider) has the most channels. I don't think people are going to care if we are carrying 15 channels that show a log burning just because it's in HD. But we are working with (every HD network).
The announcement led some analysts to opine that the cable TV industry would have difficulty competing with DIRECTV for the growing high-def audience. (Most cable operators now offer fewer than 20 national HDTV networks.)
But don't tell that to Melinda Witmer, Time Warner's senior vice president and chief programming officer. In an interview today with TVPredictions.com, Witmer said that Time Warner will have the technical capacity to offer as many channels as DIRECTV.
"I'm 100 percent confident that we will have as compelling a HDTV lineup as DIRECTV," Witmer said.
Time Warner SVP Melinda Witmer
In the interview, Witmer also commented on Time Warner's lawsuit against DIRECTV over its high-def TV commercials; why ESPN2 HD is not available in every Time Warner market; and whether Time Warner will continue to broadcast in analog when the nation switches to Digital TV in February 2009.
Here are the highlights of the TVPredictions.com interview with Time Warner's Melinda Witmer.
TVPredictions: Some industry executives are saying today that DIRECTV's deal with Major League Baseball for the Extra Innings package was rigged to ensure that DIRECTV would get the deal exclusively. What's your opinion?
Melinda Witmer: I haven't read the details of the agreement so I can't comment. I don't know why people are saying it's rigged. It sounds like (cable operators) would have to pay what DIRECTV is paying. So I will say that it's part of a constant evaluation of whether acquiring programming is too expensive or not. Beyond that, I can't say.
TVP: DIRECTV's TV commercials (starring Christopher Lloyd) say that it will soon have three times the HD capacity as cable. Time Warner has sued, saying the commercials are false. Why did Time Warner sue while other cable operators did not?
MW: We will be rolling out Switched Digital Video (a new transmission technology) by the end of the year and that will allow us to offer a lot more channels. So to see the DIRECTV ads that tell consumers that they will have three times the number of channels as cable is not a factual statement...Competition is one thing but Time Warner was not prepared to accept that. I'm 100 percent confident that we will have as compelling a HD lineup as DIRECTV.
Of course, we have to negotiate the deals (with the HDTV networks). You can have the capacity but you still have to negotiate the deals, which is my job...And we are not going to get into the total numbers debate -- you know, which (TV provider) has the most channels. I don't think people are going to care if we are carrying 15 channels that show a log burning just because it's in HD. But we are working with (every HD network).
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TVP: Can you give an estimate of how many national HDTV channels you will have by year's end?
MW: I can't do that. We still have to negotiate the agreements.
TVP: But it's safe to say that with Switched Digital Video, there won't be any technical limitations in providing as many channels as DIRECTV at year's end?
MW: Yes...We are also looking at VOD. We may put some HDTV channels on VOD rather than have them as 24-hour networks.
TVP: Did the DIRECTV ads particularly alarm Time Warner because there is so much confusion about HDTV among consumers?
MW: The confusion is everywhere...I'm getting a boatload of e-mails from consumers (about HDTV). And the main thing is that they are confused about what High-Definition really is. There is some upconverting going on (and) what concerns me is that some programs are stretched (to fit a widescreen high-def set) and it's not really High-Definition content...There needs to be a definition of what High-Definition is and everyone should stick to it. I'm really upset that people are buying high-def sets, bringing them home and plugging them in and then not always getting high-def.
TVP: Do you think that this definition of high-def should include whether a program is transmitted at a certain bit rate? Lower bit rates can affect the picture quality.
MW: Yes, compression rates make a difference in picture quality.
TVP: Why is ESPN2 HD not in every Time Warner market?
MW: We acquired some (cable) systems (from Adelphia) that had it. We are talking to (ESPN ) about (adding it to the remaining markets.)
TVP: In February 2009, all broadcasts must switch to digital. (Viewers will need a Digital TV or a set-top that converts the digital signals to analog to continue to watch TV at that time.) Will Time Warner continue to broadcast analog signals then so subscribers who still have analog sets can continue to watch TV (without a converter box)?
MW: There is some concern over what will happen. We will have a keen eye on the number of analog customers we have and consider contingency plans in case that's needed.
TVP: What is your favorite show in HDTV?
MW: Well, this one is easy. I don't have a high-def set. My husband and I are renovating a new home so I'm getting one when I move into my new house...I did see Discovery's (Planet Earth) in HD and it was extraordinary.
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
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TVP: Can you give an estimate of how many national HDTV channels you will have by year's end?
MW: I can't do that. We still have to negotiate the agreements.
TVP: But it's safe to say that with Switched Digital Video, there won't be any technical limitations in providing as many channels as DIRECTV at year's end?
MW: Yes...We are also looking at VOD. We may put some HDTV channels on VOD rather than have them as 24-hour networks.
TVP: Did the DIRECTV ads particularly alarm Time Warner because there is so much confusion about HDTV among consumers?
MW: The confusion is everywhere...I'm getting a boatload of e-mails from consumers (about HDTV). And the main thing is that they are confused about what High-Definition really is. There is some upconverting going on (and) what concerns me is that some programs are stretched (to fit a widescreen high-def set) and it's not really High-Definition content...There needs to be a definition of what High-Definition is and everyone should stick to it. I'm really upset that people are buying high-def sets, bringing them home and plugging them in and then not always getting high-def.
TVP: Do you think that this definition of high-def should include whether a program is transmitted at a certain bit rate? Lower bit rates can affect the picture quality.
MW: Yes, compression rates make a difference in picture quality.
TVP: Why is ESPN2 HD not in every Time Warner market?
MW: We acquired some (cable) systems (from Adelphia) that had it. We are talking to (ESPN ) about (adding it to the remaining markets.)
TVP: In February 2009, all broadcasts must switch to digital. (Viewers will need a Digital TV or a set-top that converts the digital signals to analog to continue to watch TV at that time.) Will Time Warner continue to broadcast analog signals then so subscribers who still have analog sets can continue to watch TV (without a converter box)?
MW: There is some concern over what will happen. We will have a keen eye on the number of analog customers we have and consider contingency plans in case that's needed.
TVP: What is your favorite show in HDTV?
MW: Well, this one is easy. I don't have a high-def set. My husband and I are renovating a new home so I'm getting one when I move into my new house...I did see Discovery's (Planet Earth) in HD and it was extraordinary.
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
____________________________________________
Phillip Swann is president and publisher of
TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of
publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN,
Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The
Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial
Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood
Reporter. He can be reached at
swann@tvpredictions.com
or at 703-505-3064.
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