Craig Leddy of Interactive TV Works joins us to discuss innovation in the media industry.

Most people don’t think of the media industry as a driver for innovation. People tend to overlook that things like cable TV took decades to get to today. In the media and cable industries, the process behind the technologies tends to get overlooked. People look at pioneers such as Ted Turner and think they were overnight successes. These things took time and tons of effort, and many unsung heroes were along the way. While there are big players such as Comcast, Spectrum, etc., many small cable operators are still there. These companies build out fiber and work hard to close the digital divide. Although not as large as before, the entrepreneurial spirit is still alive in the cable industry.

COVID-19 opened people’s eyes to the two dimensions of the digital divide: availability and affordability. Major companies and the Whitehouse and SEC just agreed to create a broadband offer at an affordable price. While these companies in the cable industry compete, they collaborate when it is the right thing to do. Craig has run the Interactive Case Competition for 11 years with graduate-level students. The competition presents real-world challenges to students and brings industry experts to guide and coach them. The last competition focused on figuring out how to motivate people to connect once broadband is widely available and affordable. The winning team from Drexel University created a plan where households with students could get more broadband at an affordable price. This competition, along with the CableLabs 10G Challenge, is an excellent way for innovators to help improve impactful technologies.

Security and privacy are key issues in the tech world today for individuals and corporations alike. Many companies have no choice but to put up big safety walls to keep them protected. Whether you are a large or small company, security is a problem you must deal with. On the other hand, individuals have more freedom to ignore these worries. With all the ransomware headlines popping up these days, some people feel safer offline. There will no doubt be people who don’t trust broadband once it is widely available. It will be interesting to see how companies present broadband to those who have never been online.

Craig is a leading authority, writer, lecturer, research analyst, and historian on the cable industry, broadband, interactive media, television, digital technology, and wireless. He serves as the Founder, President, and Senior Market Analyst at Interactive TV Works, a consultancy based outside New York City. With over 30 years of business and tech writing experience, previously including top editor positions with Electronic Media and Cablevision Magazine and columnist for Multichannel News, he was inducted into Cable Pioneers in 2020.

To connect with Craig, check out his LinkedIn here.

To know more about innovation in media and entertainment, listen to this week's show: Innovation in Media and Entertainment with Craig Leddy of Interactive TV Works.