Reeltime Rentals Inc (RLTR)

[OldE5]

At the beginning of this year several of us predicted that ReelTime’s technology lead would only last for about a year. Apparently that prediction is holding true. It seems like every other week a new streaming video company announces that they are in business and ready to corner the on-line video market.

What this means to us now is that the technology ReelTime possesses is no longer unique. A lot of people can do it, so there is no point in owning this stock just for its clever technology.

What Reeltime has going for it is that we have begun the transition to becoming a media company.

ReelTime investors have already stopped being impressed by what their technology can do and now concentrate on the website’s content, who they are partnering with, how well they control their expenses, and how effectively they advertise.

What those other Johnny-come-lately technology companies haven’t figured out yet is that they must have someone like Beverly running things in order to succeed.

It was entirely appropriate that Barry step aside and let Beverly take over day-to-day operations. It takes time to get content providers under contract, and it takes a lot of trust for those movie people to sign your contract at rates that aren’t ruinous to the website’s bottom line.

Beverly is the key here. She has the connections and she understands how movie execs think. More than anyplace in the world, success in Hollywood depends on who you know. I will support any movement toward getting her a bigger staff.

I know I’m making a huge assumption in thinking that over the next few weeks the IT guys will make the ReelTime website work flawlessly. But after living with the Beta site for a year, I suspect that they have got it working correctly.

OldE5