Marc Tayer, Part 2

Marc Tayer talked by video from San Diego about his book, Televisionaries: Inside the Chaos and Innovation of the Digital Revolution, in which he chronicles the story of the growth of digital television and the people who made it happen. The summer of 2015 marked the 25th anniversary of digital television. Mr. Tayer was one of those who helped to create digital TV, working with a company called General Instrument. He talked about the evolution of watching video on tablets and phones as well as at home and some of the trade-offs in privacy with watching over the Internet; set-top boxes; regulation of television and the Internet; the impact of sports on television; the roles of Google, Netflix, and cord-cutting; and how Donald Rumsfeld played a major role. As chair and chief executive officer of General Instrument he staged the first major test of HDTV at the U.S. Capitol with members of Congress and FCC commissioners present.

Part two of a two-part interview. close