Is there an HDTV owner in America who thinks there's a glut of HD channels and content to watch? Probably not. Well, maybe one. His name is Michael Angelakis, and he's the chief financial officer of Comcast.
At a conference Monday, he told the audience, "Not every HD channel
deserves to be in HD, and there are lots of HD channels that aren't
watched very much," reports Dow Jones.
Now, when he says, "deserves to be in HD," do you think he means
"returns Comcast's investment" or "looks good on my TV"? Any ideas as
to his meaning?
Sure, there are plenty of "HD" channels that don't actually air
high-def content on a regular basis. It might be fair to say those
channels don't deserve to be designated as HD by a carrier. But it's
hard to argue that any truly high-def channel doesn't look better than
its standard-def counterpart on an HDTV, even if only a small group of
people watches the channel.
HD channels and networks won't surpass their standard-def counterparts
in viewership until HDTVs surpass standard-def televisions in homes.
That could take a while. In the meantime, many HDTV-owners limit their
TV-watching hours to programs in HD. That means even TLC HD's simulcast
of "Little People, Big World" gets an audience. —Rachel Rosmarin
