Comcast/NBCU Merger: What Does It Mean For The Future of Internet TV?

As regulators prepare to delineate the conditions of the Comcast/NBCU merger, what does this combination mean for the future of Internet TV?

It'll mean less competition and consumer choice, according to an analysis by the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University. As one of the largest growing areas for content distribution, online media services like Apple TV, Google TV, and Netflix have seen the migration of cable viewers to the online medium. Online TV stands to be one of the biggest areas of growth for content in coming years, and cable providers have toyed with services that would migrate their programming to the web.

Comcast for one has seized this opportunity to further a system called "TV Everywhere" which streams its cable content over the web — provided that viewers are also subscribers to its cable services.

This stipulation, that content access can be limited to certain subscribers is what worries regulators. If Comcast can control not only the methods of distribution, but also the content, what's to stop them from walling-up NBC shows and keeping them from competing distributors?

The predictions are bleak. According to Susan Crawford, former special assistant to President Obama for science, technology and innovation policy, and author of an upcoming book on the deal:

Comcast will build extensive moats around their content ... I can tell you confidently in the future you will need a cable subscription from Comcast to access online any cable channels that would otherwise be bundled by Comcast.

Rather than allowing a new batch of online media innovators to shape the landscape of online television, existing cable networks are seeking ways to make the move to the web, while limiting competition in order to cement their dominance.

Comcast's history of blocking competition adds further worries. In the past Comcast has blocked peer-to-peer traffic for many of its users. Without regulation, Comcast could easily take steps to block competitors on its TV and broadband systems as it expands.

Such restrictions on competition, from service throttling to keeping NBC content on Comcast services only (and available to Comcast subscribers only), are why regulators must impose strong restrictions on the deal to protect consumers.

With regulation as the last secure option for keeping consumers safe and Internet TV open, let's hope the FCC and Department of Justice make the right choice and keep the future of Internet TV bright.

TV, Internet and The Merger: What's best for consumers? (Investigative Reporting Workshop)