Business Insider reports that the television industry is “having its worst year ever.” Ratings have plummeted, and so have subscribers to bundled cable television — which is the Golden Cash Cow of Hollywood. Since 2010, cable providers have lost 5 million subscribers. During the last quarter alone 113,000 cable customers said goodbye.
For decades, cable providers gained a lot more customers than they ever lost, but those days are long over. For the first time in the industry’s history, there are fewer than 40 million customers paying for cable from America’s major providers. People are obviously moving online, choosing to stream the television shows and films they want to watch, and doing so when they choose to. Appointment television is as dead as Barack Obama’s credibility.
Streaming is a much better deal for consumers. Instead of facing punishing prices for a bundled cable package that makes you pay for dozens of channels you never watch, streaming offers choice and value and convenience. Some programming is still exclusively available via bundled cable or satellite only. Eventually, though, that will have to change. Entertainment providers will have to go to where the people are.
On top of that, with streaming, you are not forced to subsidize cable channels you hate. If your cable bundle forces you to pay for MSNBC and CNN in order to get Fox News, you are personally enriching CNN and MSNBC. Yes, that is allowed to happen in America.
Streaming is the future. Streaming is choice and value and the end of left-wing affirmative action for the cultural rot pumped against your will into your home through that thin black cable.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC