• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, January 10, 2007

Before you go congratulating Bob Iger and Les Moonves for making their way to the altar of the Consumer Electronics Show this week, wait and realize that it is still a long road to go before either of the traditional mega-media companies they represent have a firm grasp on the digital world.

Here's one clue--and perhaps an ironic one: Neither Walt Disney Co. nor CBS offered up a Webcast of their top honcho's respective keynote speeches during the event.

Yet wasn't this the CES, the mothership of all electronic devices, digital or otherwise?

Of course, there could be good reason for bypassing the Webcast. One logical answer is that it is up to the producers of the CES event in Las Vegas to decide on what gets Webcast. And, if not, doesn't the CES reserve the right to lure good-paying customers to journey to the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas?

Yes, on both accounts.

But in the digital world that CES occupies--and that fact that these two major media executives made such a big deal of their attendance as keynote speakers--one wonders why they wouldn't do all they could to spur the world of a digital future, showing potential digital partners and consumers, that CBS and Disney fully embrace these new businesses.

Don't Moonves and Iger want to at least show off their perfect Hollywood smiles, and all that funny material with the likes of prime-time performers Jon Cryer and Evangeline Lilly?

Sure, both Disney and CBS touted all their respective new digital projects. But perhaps it's better to follow the leader. Two other keynote speakers at CES did provide Webcasts (on their company's respective dimes)--Ed Zander, chairman/CEO of Motorola, and some guy named Gates.

What messages are Messrs. Iger and Moonves sending? Perhaps there is some hard-core business communication: You need us more than we need you.

Networks have all that meaningful, highly branded, ready-to-go prime-time television content. Network programming content is so good that, according to recent CBS research, anything related to TV on the Internet actually drives people back to watching traditional TV distribution.

Content is still king. But right now the king is playing cards in the green room, and looking for his agent.