The Big Picture on HD
by Randy Barrett -- Multichannel News, 11/25/2007 7:00:00 PM
Mark Cuban believed in HDTV before most people knew what it was. His high-definition television network HDNet debuted when HD sets were just hitting the retail market.
The network now offers a variety of sports, news, movies and original programming in full, native HD.
An outspoken and hard-charging chief, Cuban has no regrets about getting into the game so early, and he has plenty to say about the future of HD — and about his new competition.
Multichannel News contributor Randy Barrett recently interviewed Cuban via e-mail. An edited transcript follows:
MCN: You started HDNet in 2001, well ahead of the rush of interest we're now seeing in HD programming. What was it like in the early days?
Mark Cuban: Like it is now, fun. Back then there was very little content to license, so we had to come up with every idea we could to fill a schedule, from parades to fireworks to anything that we could get rights to.
MCN: Were you too far ahead of the curve?
MC: Are you kidding? We have built a hard-core following of viewers. Being available to HD viewers for so long has allowed us to build a very loyal following who know the HDNet brand equates with great programming at the highest possible quality, something no other network can match.
MCN: How much investment has HDNet put into its HD production facilities?
MC: Enough.
MCN: Are there particular types of original programming that you've sought out that you think work best in HD format? It seems sports is leading the way among your competitors.
MC: Sports is the easiest to do and looks great, which is why many have turned to sports first. It's not the biggest impact in terms of programming.
News is easily the most improved by HD. Being able to get a sense of being there and to see what is happening instead of having a talking head tell you, has and will change how news is done. Our news shows from Dan Rather Reports, to HDNet World Report to our exclusive deal with NASA for live shuttle launches in HD all are unique shows that current broadcast or cable news networks can't touch and probably won't spend the money to do as well as we do.
MCN: Talking heads and in-studio programs don't tend to be visually stunning. Have you spent much time producing this kind of stuff?
MC: Anything we have had that was talking heads is no longer in production. Talking-head shows are there to cut costs but really don't accomplish much in HD.
MCN: With so many networks now jumping into HD programming, at what point does it become a commodity?
MC: Depends on how those other networks do HD. Right now I would say there is a greater chance the [Federal Communications Commission] steps in and defines when a network can truly call itself HD than HD becoming a commodity. There is a great Web site [www.digitalcaffeine.com/hd] that lists all the networks that call themselves HD and which ones actually do HD.
Because of all the simulcasts, networks make most, if not all of the revenue from their [standard-definition] versions, they still protect their content for SD and more often than not just upconvert content, and don't show it in their original aspect ratios. They can get away with calling themselves an HD network, for now. I don't know how long that will be the case.
You have some networks like CNBC that doesn't do a single minute of content in HD calling themselves an HD network. Others broadcast less than 10% of their daily schedules in HD. I can't see them being able to do that for long. At some point consumer groups will step in and say something and make them define themselves as something like 'Available in SD on your HDTV.'
Until all the mislabeling starts to diminish, real HD will be a selling point, and not a commodity.
MCN: Down the road, isn't there a danger that HDNet loses its distinctiveness and just becomes another network?
MC: Every network is always just another network. We have to compete based on the quality of our programming just like everyone else. We left the pretty-picture stage a long time ago. We get TNS [Media Intelligence] ratings and not only do we often beat the other networks being shown in HD, but we often beat networks that are in SD, despite the fact that they are in five times or 10 times the number of homes we are in. So we recognize the value of great programming and we focus on it.
We also take the approach of leveraging our independence. I don't have to squeeze every advertising dollar out of every show. So we might have two or four minutes of breaks per show, which as you know is unheard of.
HDNet Movies has no commercial interruptions during movies. How many non-premium movie channels can say that? In fact how many non-premium movie channels even show exclusively movies anymore? How many of them have programs like our Sneak Preview, which offers sneak previews of movies that are released nationally in theaters.
Dan Rather is on his way to Cuba right now to hopefully grab the interview of a very distinguished lifetime. It's unique opportunities like these that HDNet and HDNet Movies can offer because we don't have shareholders, we don't have programming committees — the first and final decision is mine. I don't know any network in the country that can program with the independence that HDNet can.
MCN: While many networks are moving fast into HD programming, advertisers are somewhat behind the eight ball. How important is it that ads also appear in HD?
MC: It's important to any brand that wants to be seen as current and relevant and not out of sync. It's also important to networks for the same reason. When a commercial starts and immediately the screen switches to black bars on both sides, it sends the message that either the network or the producer of the commercial is out of sync with HDTV consumers' expectations. That's not good for either.
MCN: What's on the drawing board for HDNet. Any new, original programs in the works?
MC: We continuously introduce new programming. We are moving strongly into mixed martial arts. Our show Inside MMA is the first to cover the sport from top to bottom. Our HDNet Fights is signing some of the leading athletes in the sport and we expect it to grow very quickly.
In addition, we are expanding our concert lineups. We have worked out some unique and exclusive arrangements with labels to produce concerts from the world's leading artists. We are in the process of producing a show with Austin Stevens, we are in discussions with Paris Hilton to produce a show unlike anything anyone would expect from her, and our current lineup of original programming continues to excel.
HDNet Movies and our new HDNet Ultra VOD will continue to offer our sneak previews and will expand to 1 per month this year.
And in case someone didn't know, 100% of our programming is shot in 1080i for HD. We don't have any SD viewers to protect for, so unlike other networks, we can create the ultimate experience for HD viewers.
MCN: What's next after HD? 3D? Holographic TV?
MC: The biggest change in the near future is that HDTVs will continue to get bigger and cheaper. A show that might have been able to get by as an upconvert on a 27- or even 42-inch screen won't pass muster on a 65- or 70-inch screen. The viewing experience will continue to evolve and viewer expectations will rise far more quickly than I think networks are ready to deal with today.
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