New DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV) boss Mike White has a surprising view on how the satellite provider plans to move forward in a tough economy with new competition coming from both the Internet and the proposed merger of Comcast and NBC Universal.
"I don't see that owning content is a necessity for us to do a great job," White said during a Q&A with the Los Angeles Times.
That's surprising because White, before becoming DirecTV's CEO, was a Pepsi executive and, as taste tests proved, the content of the bottle, can or glass was what was important there. In the world of video entertainment, though, it's not the content, it's the container.
"Our focus is to be the best provider of video anywhere," he said, also dismissing the notion that the company will have to merge with Verizon or AT&T to stay competitive with the triple play packages coming from cable.
White also is not overly worried about Comcast and NBC: "I suspect that by the time they get done with the Federal Communications Commission, whatever they might have liked to do, they won't be able to do anyway."
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