>>Content will drive subscribers to one provider vs. another provider
>This of course is very far from a given.
I agree that it's not a given. However, the vision is personalization across multiple platforms. I for one like being able to go up to a computer in a library, go to Excite, log in and be able to reach my bookmarks, content, etc.
Whether the vision will be executed is another question. However, I can see the logic and personally find it useful.
Excite has provided value. It's been a very low cost acquisition method of new @Home subscribers. Excite had a huge database of "profiles" that have been marketed when the @Home service became available in their areas.
Having viewed the @Home content for over 3 years, I also believe that Excite has provided a dramatic improvement to what was available previously.
Applications and content are what make the pipe useful. If there are 10 providers offering the pipe, why would you pick one over another. Obviously, price and speed will need to be comparable. After that, it will come down to which provider is the most useful. As I stated previously, that will be the provider that offers personalized content and applications to all devices.
@Home was first with the network. But others are coming. Eventually, the network will be a commoditiy. Then the Excite purchase will look much better.
It's hard to see it now. Plus, looking at the stock price, it's easy to be disillusioned. But if you look far enough into the future, it might not be that far fetched. |
