CBS and Disney, open vs. closed

Filed in archive Business Trends on January 12, 2007

Even if the old bones are creaking, it's still wise to keep running. CBS is doing that right now with two new ideas this week. I must preface that I don't think either of them will be game changers, but I do applaud the experiments.

As expected, CBS Corp. Chief Les Moonves appeared on stage at the CES with sling Media, maker of the Sling Box, and Linden Labs, creator of the online universe Second Life. Many feel that partnering with two companies that appear to pose a threat to CBS' core business is either forward-thinking or aggressively stupid.

Marketwatch believes the move is a very canny one. Looking back at the history of Big Media's blunders on the Web, failure in many cases has come down to "walled gardens" like AOL. The Internet generation doesn't go for them. End of story.

In its Slingbox experiement, CBS will allow people to clip and send their favorite video segments to their friends and family. In its Second Life partnership, CBS is creating a virtual "Star Trek" environment for trekkie fans, where they'll tap into interesting story ideas, possibly convening to help write future episodes.

CBS' moves are in stark contrast to Disney's "walled-garden" approach to the new Disney.com.