While acknowledging that Apple presents a “serious competitor to us,” Cox Communications president Pat Esser downplayed the threat posed by the new Apple TV, a new connected device that will sport a fresh interface and provide access to a wider array of apps, including more over-the-top video options.
“I think our product is the best value on the market and often customers go out and by the time they buy a number of over-the-top services they find out that [with] our multichannel video product they actually get more for the money they pay than they do if they go and try to pull it off of the Internet,” Esser said Wednesday during an interview on Countdown to the Closing Bell with Liz Claman on Fox Business.
But is he “dreading” the adoption of Apple TV?
“No, I’m not,” Esser said. “Apple is another competitor in a very crowded space. It’s another service that runs on our broadband network.”
And he said broadband presents opportunities for all comers, including Cox.
“Our broadband network, the network we spent billions of dollars building – companies like Apple can innovate on that platform, and companies like Cox can innovate on that platform,” Esser said.
Cox, which once tested a IP-powered video service targeted at cord-cutters, has been branching out recently with its own over-the-top products, including a subscription gaming service called flarePlay and, more recently, with the debut of a free, video streaming aggregation app for youngsters called flareKids.
“The market is much more segmented today,” Esser said. “Consumers want their products on more platforms, and I’m going to help that happen.”
Esser noted, noted for example, that Cox has been making its linear TV lineup available on TiVo’s retail platform and, thanks to a recent, deeper integration, has begun to extend access to its VOD offering.
