Intel’s plans to bring its own TV service to market has just hit the most obvious of snags: content negotiation. It could be that many different markets are complicated for companies to do business in, but when it comes to music and video, it seems overly so. How many times have you seen services shutter, or services never actually get up off the ground because of some negotiation? A notable mention would be Google TV, which faced quite a bit of conflict in 2010.
Nonetheless, Intel has invested heavily in its TV service, and for a multitude of reasons, I hope it succeeds. When it comes to cable services, TV shows and movies, there’s just not enough competition out there. In the end, the consumer rarely feels like they are getting what they’re paying for, and despite the high prices, services rarely seem to improve. Case in point: why can’t we choose just a couple of channels we want, rather than massive blocks of channels littered with those we don’t?
That’s exactly the sort of situation Intel is hoping to fix with its own TV service. As it’ll be Web-based, people could easily filter out what they don’t want and only subscribe to and pay for the channels they do. Sounds like heaven to me, and if Intel ever does get it out the door, it’s highly unlikely that other companies will rest on their laurels for too long.