Pay-TV providers see first yearly customer loss

[landtuna]

U.S. multichannel TV providers, including cable TV operators, posted their first full-year decline in subscriptions last year, according to research firm SNL Kagan.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/03/19/pay-tv-2013-customer-loss/6628769/

 

[Avid Listener]

U.S. multichannel TV providers, including cable TV operators, posted their first full-year decline in subscriptions last year, according to research firm SNL Kagan.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/03/19/pay-tv-2013-customer-loss/6628769/

That's a rather ambiguous article. Are they talking about pay-per-view content, premium subscription programming like HBO or Showtime, or simply pay-for-better-reception cable? And, there's no mention of the impact of viewers transitioning from cable to alternatives like Hulu, Netflix, Roku, and the other content source alternatives. There's also no mention of whether this is an indicator of the worsening recession (which is really a depression) or dissatisfaction with the available content. Is there any information on this that has some actual meat to it, as opposed to USA Today's "McNews" slightly enhanced headlines?

For example, it says, "The decline in video subscription is attributable partly to consumers who never bothered to order new service as they moved into new homes. 'Housing formation was modest but still outpaced new subscriptions,' it said." Does that take into account the trend to move from the suburbs, where cable is needed to receive adequate over-the-air signals, back to urban areas where the towers are closer and signals are strong enough that an antenna is enough?

 

[TVCOOL]

Cable TV is on life support

Once the WWE Network takes off offering PPVs then Boxing and/or UFC will follow suit and offer their own services rendering the Pay Per View industry a thing of the past. In most areas one can get up to 40-45 channels with a decent indoor HDTV antenna (equipped with a booster or a amplifiler).

 

[landtuna]

In most areas one can get up to 40-45 channels with a decent indoor HDTV antenna (equipped with a booster or a amplifiler).

While the 40-45 total channel count might be true, of that number in my market the only channels normally watched (by the typical English-speaking person) are the four major networks, one indie and secondary/movie services - a total of 14. The remainder are foreign language, religious and shopping which the majority of viewers never watch.