(Published in Cablevision JULY 3, 2000)
Pitching the Digital Revolution at CTAM
High-tech companies come to the plate in Boston, hoping to hit a grand slam
with operators.
BY SIMON APPLEBAUM
No, cable marketers won't be dumping satellite dishes into Boston harbor in a few weeks while they're at
CTAM's annual conference.
But the revolutionary spirit of the first Boston tea party will be represented by the cable marketing
association's "New Product Road Show," featuring 15 companies pitching their innovative products or
services to operators.
Each company will get a chance to advocate the merits of its innovation at the "Digital Gold Rush" from
July 16 to July 19, stressing its value to consumers and the worthiness of its business model. While the
"dog and pony show" format is new to cable, it's standard protocol for tech and Web-centric companies
seeking venture-capital support and Wall Street backing for initial public offerings.
Companies making their pitch in Boston will focus on products and services that impact cable's developing
convergence marketplaces, including high-speed Internet access, interactive TV and home networking.
They include such familiar faces as Scientific-Atlanta, ReplayTV, ACTV, Intertainer, Motorola and
Redback Networks.
Relative newcomers include California-based High-Speed Surfing, ShareWave and Ceon.
High-Speed Surfing, which offers an assortment of Web-access services, including subscriber self-install
equipment, maintenance support and Web-site marketing, which focuses on what makes Web access run
besides modems, made its National Cable TV Association exhibitor debut two months ago. But David Lin,
CEO and co-founder of High-Speed Surfing, views CTAM's forum as his company's formal introduction
to the cable industry: "We get a face-to-face chance to present our service in one place."
"The single im-pression we want to leave at CTAM is we're out to create an entirely new niche," adds
David Fox, High-Speed's marketing VP. "We're not interested in selling cable modems. We're interested in
assisting the operator in executing all the other variables surrounding the high-speed Web-access
experience. That's the picture we want to paint."
ShareWave produces chips and software that accommodate wireless home networks. The company was
off-site at NCTA, following a role in last fall's CableLabs' Western Show showcase. For ShareWave
business development director Don Apruzzese, the mission of his Road Show exposure is to have
attendees champing at the bit for a new revenue direction, going way beyond one company's role within it.
In a world where all content becomes digital, the content must simultaneously become uniform to run on
any device, whether a Palm handheld pad or a microwave oven.
"A wireless home network gives you the opportunity to make content ubiquitous. The operator can offer
any number of devices that can distribute content around the house," Apruzzese says. "With every device,
there's an e-commerce opportunity where the operator can get a cut of the revenue. There's
video-on-demand services and all kinds of other possibilities. It's a way to differentiate yourself from
competition."
Ceon's MIS product gives operators the ability to turn bundled services on when a subscriber's order is
processed and approved. While there's no funding at stake in Boston, Ceon marketing VP Tricia
McWilliams says she's well aware that marketing people will have more input on technology decisions.
"People can't have technology that limits their options," she says. "That's going to be a key differentiator
for which cable operators make it in this new environment and which don't. I do see this as
make-or-break."•
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