Cableco Competition Heats Up
Some partners say they expect the MSOs to compete against each other more as their geographical swim lanes blur. Most cable vendors in the channel have embraced one another with the understanding that most of them operate in different regions of the U.S. However, some partners pointed to Comcast’s acquisition of Masergy as an example of an MSO gaining international capabilities. So much for a swim lane.
“In the past the MSOs have always been very united, because their network doesn’t overlap. And truly, they weren’t competitors. They could all just do things together, because it was ‘Sell cable’ not ‘Sell Comcast,'” Kenzy said. “I think we’re going to start to see a little more competition amongst the MSOs. And I’m interested to see what happens with the ‘cable brethren,’ if you will. Because they truly are becoming competitors, where in the past they were selling similar products but in different markets.”