It would be unfair to say the cable industry's response to Netflix and to the larger changes in consumer preferences, technology and devices is anything like the music industry's flat-footed response to file-sharing, and yet, as Daisy points out, the question always seem to return to whether the industry is adapting fast enough.
Despite the pockets of early TV Everywhere success (HBO 2.6M+ downloads, Watch ESPN 2M+ downloads, etc.), there isn't yet a detectable and pervasive sense of urgency about re-imagining the cable model for the Internet era. Rather, familiar themes from past shows - programmers, and now broadcasters too - angling for higher monthly affiliate fees, despite ongoing economic pressure and an abundance of low-cost entertainment options, were once again on display. Conversely, while certain programmers seem to have drunk the TV Everywhere Kool-Aid (Time Warner most notably), the vast majority of others seem to be sitting on the sidelines, contentedly pointing to one obstacle or another (e.g. lack of measurement, rights, need for incremental fees, etc.) as reason enough not to move forward with TV Everywhere just yet.
As I've said repeatedly, the industry is not at risk of being capsized by a wave of cord-cutting any time soon. Rather, the risk is more one of a "thousand cuts" - fundamental changes in the landscape that are coalescing to make pay-TV seem just a little less necessary to many consumers with each passing day.
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Categories: Cable Networks, Cable TV Operators, Podcasts
Topics: Cable Show, Netflix