We've got it all on UHF

A recurring theme I've seen across my posts is how technology- the internet specifically, has made an impact on the world around us. Television has not been immune to this. This one is personal, as my job is television. The trend here is similar; why pay more, when I can pay less? Sometimes the currency is time, but in this case it's cold hard cash.

Josephine Flood- CNBC

Cable companies have had it good for decades. Recent improvements in technology, however is really staring to dig at their bottom line.

As evidenced by this Pew Research study, there is a growing number of households who are cancelling their cable subscriptions. Among the chief complaints; the cost of TV subscriptions, or "bundles". "The cable bundle means that consumers can’t select and pay for cable TV channels a la carte. Instead, they have to buy dozens at a time. Media executives have long referred to it as the golden goose" (Sherman, 2020). That Goose might be cooked. Technology increases in the digital sector provide ample opportunities for a household to stream content from any variety of free and subscription-based streaming services. With the numbers hinting that the decline in TV subscriptions is nowhere near finished dropping, the only one question remains. Will media companies adapt to this new digital frontier, or is this their series finale? Stay tuned.

References

Rainie, L. (2021, March 17). Cable and satellite TV use has dropped dramatically in the U.S. since 2015. Retrieved from Pew Research: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/03/17/cable-and-satellite-tv-use-has-dropped-dramatically-in-the-u-s-since-2015/

Sherman, A. (2020, October 24). Media executives are finally accepting the decline of cable TV as they plot a new path forward. Retrieved from CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/24/big-media-companies-reorganize-for-world-of-50-million-tv-subscribers.html