Enjoyed your well-reasoned comments, Will.
Frankly, I don't see an exclusive deal with anybody other than RNWK or MSFT, either from HAUP's standpoint or from that of a strategic partner. One of the reasons supporting this scenario is that exclusivity with a portal, TV network or content provider would be the kiss of death for any proprietary HAUP software technology (and licensing opportunities thereof).
MSFT and RNWK have the ability to enter into an exclusive deal with HAUP because they control the "media desktop" in one way or another. Most other "exclusive" partner candidates could not expect to control potential future licensees--if they can be "controlled" at all--such as CREAF, ATI, Matrox and INTC, among prospective players. In addition, TV networks and portals would have a hard time supporting a de facto desktop digital TV standard "owned" by a perceived competitor.
None of which is to say that HAUP couldn't enter into a strategic alliance with the likes of YHOO/BCST, NBCI (Snap/XMCM/Cyclone/CNBC/NBC.com, etc.), CBS, DIS/SEEK, T/ATHM/XCIT, NWS/FOX, VO/USAI, TWX, CMGI (iCast)/LCOS, or Paul Allen/Vulcan/GNET. But it really couldn't be exclusive or it would run the risk of marginalization. (AOL/NSCP is not included in the list because it's likely to be behind the scenes of a RNWK deal, a reason to favor RNWK.)
Also, for what it's worth, Cuban has maintained that BCST intends to remain "software-agnostic" over the long term, thus diminishing the likelihood of an exclusive relationship between HAUP and YHOO.
All-in-all, though, these developments are quite favorable. For serious product penetration to occur (anything close to 1 percent of a major portal's user base), however, the street price of the digital tuner card will need to come down to no higher than $199-$299, say twice the level at which HAUP's analog products now sell. Better still would be motherboard integration (via license), which is not out of the question down the road. At $500 or more, the digital product will likely remain the province of geeks and opinion leaders.
Meanwhile, congratulations on your "payday."
BAM
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