As carriers look to replace declining voice and data revenues, the concept of mobile bloatware is once again making an appearance. At a time when switching costs are virtually non-existent, can carriers and brands afford to irritate their customers?

I’ve written previously on new technologies or services in the content distribution space that scream about how disruptive they are, the new found efficiency they bring, or my personal favorite – the “democratization” of content they unleash. Unfortunately, when you strip away the made-for-TechCrunch adjectives, we are (in many cases) simply left with a Rube-Goldberg like contraption built for one thing and one thing only – stealing someone else’s content and monetizing it.

Over the past four months or so, two companies have literally become household names in the broadcast television industry. While most companies achieve this level of notoriety through the development of a disruptive technology or new consumer craze, both ivi and FilmOn have achieved it through an obvious disregard of US copyright, re-transmission consent and a host of other laws or rulings designed to protect both content owners and consumers.

Love them or hate them, use them or don’t, applications have taken the mobile industry by storm and demonstrate that mobile communication is more than just telephony and email. Apps are a critical part of a vast eco-system that bring us together and connect us with information, products and services in ways that are engaging, informative and entertaining.

There’s never been any question in my mind that content is King. However, a King’s influence and impact extends only as far as his domain allows. Trumpeted loudly yet kept within a narrow space, content may have wide awareness and desirability but it has little impact if consumers cannot or will not access it. Conversely, wide in reach but marginal in value and the content lacks impact and consumers will engage only for brief periods.