en tabtv mediaRANT - tabTV http://tabtv.me/mediarant/ Fri, 13 Mar 2015 20:00:12 +0000 en-US Site-Server v6.0.0-17254-17254 (http://www.squarespace.com) My rant on old media, new media and the battlegrounds of digital <br/>distribution, the copyleft, copyfight, audience strategies, engagement, <br/>monetization, net neutrality, technology, sandboxes, ecosystems, brand <br/>equity, brandalism, unplugging, plugging and other random observations <br/>of--and prescriptions for--the raging mediasphere. Toyota stalls on the information superhighway. Richard Cardran Fri, 13 Mar 2015 19:55:50 +0000 http://tabtv.me/mediarant/2015/3/13/toyota-stalls-out-on-the-information-superhighway 517a4067e4b072eb97f4f616:517dd5fce4b065cfbf64eec3:550329fee4b018aff557f376  

At the recent Apple Special Event one of the more exciting announcements centered on Apple's CarPlay technology, an embedded extension to the iOS platform baked into the dashboard of over 40 new 2015 cars. Apple CEO Tim Cook shared that "every major car brand has committed to delivering CarPlay" and indeed he'd be right except for one notable exception: Toyota.

While the CarPlay news was … Read more →

]]> Five reasons Apple should buy Time Warner Cable Richard Cardran Sun, 09 Mar 2014 19:15:54 +0000 http://tabtv.me/mediarant/2014/2/22/apple-please-just-buy-time-warner-already 517a4067e4b072eb97f4f616:517dd5fce4b065cfbf64eec3:53086ef9e4b0f467618174a0 1.) The number one reason Apple should buy Time Warner Cable (TWC) is to step up and be the agent of change to boldly redefine two industries--Cable TV and ISPs--both in desperate need of a good swift kick in the pants. Be the game changer! Do it better! Thats a big part of the Apple brand promise.

We'll show up on time!

We'll show up on time!

Apple could profoundly… Read more →

]]> Comcast, don't get up-sold, just buy TWC's basic service. Richard Cardran Wed, 26 Feb 2014 00:27:59 +0000 http://tabtv.me/mediarant/2014/2/19/comcast-dont-fall-for-the-upgrade-just-buy-time-warners-basic-service 517a4067e4b072eb97f4f616:517dd5fce4b065cfbf64eec3:53056e7de4b045e68f71b651 What would happen if people discovered that EXXON was routinely selling 43 octane gas at pumps labeled 87 octane? Or what if you paid for a 100mg prescription but only got 25mg, or a placebo? What industry is allowed to legally sell a smoke and mirrors service that it never, ever delivers? Thats right, its Broadband which explains why my Time Warner 30Mbps "Extreme Service" routinely fails to deliver a sustained or dependable 5Mbps speed for services such as YouTube and Netflix. 

… Read more →]]> Markopoly; when a market really isn't a market. Richard Cardran Sat, 22 Feb 2014 01:59:10 +0000 http://tabtv.me/mediarant/2014/2/13/markopoly-when-a-market-really-isnt-a-market 517a4067e4b072eb97f4f616:517dd5fce4b065cfbf64eec3:52fd8c3be4b029ff09155018 I imagine a day when I might have a choice of high speed Internet providers. I live less than 1.5 miles from downtown Los Angeles and there is no FTTH (Fiber To The Home) and my wireless is at best, unreliable. My only broadband option is Time Warner Cable. So I guess you could call that a marketplace--my choices being slow vs. unreliable vs. Time Warner Cable. This is what I like to call a Markopoly; when a market really isn't a market.

Recently Senior Republican FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai… Read more →

]]> YouTube Automation Over Curation (Fail) Richard Cardran Tue, 11 Feb 2014 07:03:33 +0000 http://tabtv.me/mediarant/2014/2/11/youtube-automation-over-curation-fail 517a4067e4b072eb97f4f616:517dd5fce4b065cfbf64eec3:52f9c9d0e4b0bddfe2cc8a24 Imaginary conversation; Eddy Cue tells iTunes "let's start a band!!"  Imagine for a minute that iTunes iBand is now topping the music charts as the next big pop sensation. How about Pandora touring their QA team in a live concert circuit? Imagine LastFM as a hit rock band or Spotify tearing up the next country music awards show. Seem like a farfetched business plan? When was the last time a technology company suddenly turned into a top-tier content creator? Intel tried it and failed. AOL tried… Read more →

]]> Put some Ham in that Spam Richard Cardran Sun, 19 May 2013 00:02:43 +0000 http://tabtv.me/mediarant/2013/5/18/mediarant-14-give-me-ham 517a4067e4b072eb97f4f616:517dd5fce4b065cfbf64eec3:51980530e4b072ff53097e31 Around a million years ago, I led the user experience and technology area of a project that attempted to quantify audience sentiment and acceptance for digital marketing and advertising practices. The project was funded by Intel, run by AOL and used sample campaigns from Hilton and Nissan as well as FexEx and others through a partnership with IPG and Omnicom. The Nielsen organization led the research which paid people to participate. There were various living room sets built inside CompUSA… Read more →

]]> Predator©®™ Mickey©®™ ☹ Richard Cardran Sat, 18 May 2013 21:21:34 +0000 http://tabtv.me/mediarant/2013/5/18/mediarant-13 517a4067e4b072eb97f4f616:517dd5fce4b065cfbf64eec3:5197ce62e4b06c10ed4a31bb I recently finished up an almost two year long assignment for the Disney Movie Studio helping them to develop programs and strategies to answer the question "How do we not become the music industry." While this was not the happiest place on earth to work, the assignment was fantastic and I threw myself in and did my best to bail out the ship of state and chart a new course into profitable digital waters.

"Disney doesn't have a stick up their ass, they have an entire enchanted forrest" --MKaye Illustraton:&nbsp;icky no.4.&nbsp;dann matthews … Read more →]]> Who moved my Cheese Wiz? Richard Cardran Fri, 17 May 2013 23:45:56 +0000 http://tabtv.me/mediarant/2013/5/17/mediarant-12-who-moved-my-cheese-wiz 517a4067e4b072eb97f4f616:517dd5fce4b065cfbf64eec3:5196c14ee4b0079d49c56102

Justin

A great parable about human nature, Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life, is a motivational book by Spencer Johnson. In the book, one pair of mice, Sniff and Scurry, discover that “Cheese Station C” no longer has any cheese. These mice are not surprised because they noticed the dwindling supply and assumed that, one day, they’d need to find another so… Read more →

]]> All restaurants are Taco Bell Richard Cardran Fri, 17 May 2013 23:18:17 +0000 http://tabtv.me/mediarant/2013/5/17/mediarant-10-all-restaurants-are-taco-bell 517a4067e4b072eb97f4f616:517dd5fce4b065cfbf64eec3:5196bad3e4b0191970561ebf The movie Demolition Man - Taco Bell Scene

The movie Demolition Man - Taco Bell Scene

The 1993 American dystopian action film Demolition Man, written by Daniel Waters, Peter M. Lenkov, and Robert Reneau, forecasted that, in 2032, all restaurants will have merged into Taco Bell. As we look at the “too big to fail” narrative surrounding the banks and financial institutions, isn’t the same process o… Read more →

]]> Is your Dinosaur sick? Richard Cardran Fri, 17 May 2013 22:47:05 +0000 http://tabtv.me/mediarant/2013/5/17/mediarant-00-is-your-dinosaur-sick 517a4067e4b072eb97f4f616:517dd5fce4b065cfbf64eec3:5196b381e4b0f56ba1d75444 I consume pop culture like a binging omnivore. I’m also a gadget freak. A deadly combo. Beyond it being a simple obsession or a point of pride, I justify my digital obsessions through my career as a digital media strategist. I advise large media companies on the strategy, tactics, trends, and culture that are eroding their strangle hold on content creation and distribution—however, more so than not—I find myself being an insultant rather than a consultant.

… Read more →]]>