BBC vs ISP: The Irresistible Force vs The Immovable Abject
April 09, 2008
One news headline in particular caught my eye today, and it wasn't the usual "Man Weds Goat" stuff, but one headed, "BBC and ISPs Clash Over iPlayer", wherein I read with increasing disbelief the words of Simon Gunter of Tiscali, a well-known and largely unremarkable trans-national ISP. After reading same, I found myself provoked, stirred and in a state of generalised arghness. So the following may contain traces of rant.
Dear Mr Gunter,
I'm having a little trouble with this: you're part of a business where customer demand for your services is rising on the back of demand driven, in part, by a national broadcaster who is finally taking an enlightened and increasingly energetic view of their own relationship with their market. You're in the enviable position of being able to satisfy that demand and all you need to remember is that, if people want more, they'll pay more: surely an entrepreneur's dream?
Recent News:
- Sir Arthur C Clarke. 12 December 1917-19 March 2008: My personal memories of Sir Arthur C Clarke and on the great influence he's been on my life and career.
- The Power of Spontaneity…: Two Worlds is one of the winner's of the 2008 BBC Innovation Labs competition for new technologies and services.
- Hype, Reality and Expectation: A short history of the Hype Cycle as a model for understanding the development of new technologies and services, with a few acerbic asides.
Latest Entries:
- Richard Harris' Bio: Biography of Richard Harris, Two Worlds' Principal.
- Jonathan Marshall's Bio: Biography of Jonathan Marshall, creative and technical partner at Two Worlds.
- BBC vs ISP: The Irresistible Force vs The Immovable Abject: The signal/noise ratio of public pronouncements from ISPs is currently even worse than usual. This time they're complaining about the BBC unfairly expanding their potential market…
- Sir Arthur C Clarke. 12 December 1917-19 March 2008: My personal memories of Sir Arthur C Clarke and on the great influence he's been on my life and career.
- Day Two of One Fewer: Divergence: Day 2 is over, exhaustion has set in, and we've been heading resolutely backwards in the scope, definition and focus of our project. This we were warned about, so we're still allowed sharp objects. Tomorrow will start bringing it all back together. We hope.