Goofy ideas

For years we've heard that content is king, but it never meant that content owners and developers actually dictated the law of the land--until now, as wireless operators appear ready and willing to cede control of their business to their content partners. According to a recent Associated Press report, the Walt Disney Co. won't allow its carrier partners to deliver Disney-branded ringtones, games and other multimedia content to phones equipped with Bluetooth or any other technology enabling direct connections between devices, insisting the wireless industry must implement more secure protocols to prevent unauthorized sharing and copying. As a result, Verizon Wireless is now facing a class-action lawsuit after disabling file-transfer capabilities on its Motorola v710 handset. "When it comes to the cell phone I have to abide by the rules of the content houses," a Verizon exec told the AP.

That's crazy talk. Unless I missed the memo reporting that Disney acquired Verizon, the carrier still controls its own destiny. And unless I missed another memo, Verizon is still first and foremost a communications company, not a broadcaster. It seems everyone in wireless is so flush with the promise of multimedia that they've forgotten no one buys phones for the purpose of playing games or watching 90-second soap operas--they buy them to talk. That's the guiding principle that got us here, and no matter how many bells and whistles wireless adds, subscribers will continue to care most about keeping in touch with their friends, family and colleagues. Gaming, music and video clips are just gravy.

The potential of wireless multimedia is undeniable, but when carriers start disabling handset functions to appease content partners, they've clearly lost their senses. Hollywood cannot establish the guidelines for wireless, and if the content industry doesn't want to play by the carriers' rules, it can pick up its ball and go home. The simple truth here is that content needs networks much more than networks need content--without distribution channels, content is nothing. But network operators don't need Disney or Sony or Warner Bros.; they could create their own content, or let subscribers upload their own--the growing popularity of blogging and podcasting is already proving the validity of do-it-yourself content and disproving the notion that consumers want their entertainment corporate-approved. Content may be king, but if carriers don't get their priorities straight, it will prove to be a royal pain as well.

E-mail me at jankeny@primediabusiness.com.