Rob Stoddard, SVP, National Cable & Telecommunications Association, talks about the vital connection cable creates every day.
Why did the association launch its new "Cable. It's More than TV. It's How We Connect" campaign recently?
We did not have a campaign in the market for the past few years, so we felt the time was right to raise awareness of how integral cable services are in the lives of consumers.
From watching our favorite shows while connecting with friends on Twitter, chatting with friends on Facebook, talking on the phone, or linking to loved ones via Skype, cable connects us to the people and things we care about most every day.
We're immensely proud of turning consumers onto broadband and innovations such as video on demand, digital video recorders, high-definition TV, digital phone service, and other great cable products.
Congressional hearings have been taking place as the competitive marketplace changes and Congress re-evaluates telecommunications policy.
The hearings are a great opportunity to examine how the marketplace has changed in the past 20 years and how we all now enjoy more choice, competition, and value than before.
The current laws governing cable's video service were written 20 years ago when cable was the only multichannel video option and the Internet didn't exist. But the marketplace has changed dramatically for the better and we now have dozens of options for viewing content on traditional and emerging services, from cable to satellite, to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and many others.
So it's only appropriate that Congress examines legacy rules that are based on outdated assumptions. We welcome this dialogue and look forward to exploring a new framework that would enable all companies to continue investing and innovating, so we'll continue to launch more new services.
Has the campaign been a success so far?
We're very happy with the feedback we've received, particularly in the digital and interactive elements of our initiative. Engagement and click-through rates have been higher than average.
And we've heard that this message is resonating with people who see how cable is connecting the dots in their lives. The initiative through June had earned more than 20 million impressions overall. So it's helping us tell the 21st century cable story.
