“I don’t think it’s necessarily a sign of any material change. For whatever reason, Dallas has the lowest cable penetration of any major city in the U.S., and DBS penetration is pretty high,” Moffett said in an e-mail message.
Cable penetration in Dallas is less that 40%, compared with 64% nationally. The likely reason, Fehrenbach said, is the availability of about 20 TV stations in the Dallas-Ft. Worth market. The region’s flat terrain contributes to improved over-the-air signal reception.
Schaeffler said he viewed Dallas as the start of a trend, claiming cable has failed to stop satellite from taking video customers.