The Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) recently reported on the pay television service subscriber counts for 2011. The numbers have not really changed much compared with 2010. The big losers continue to be the cable companies; the top 10 U.S. cable services lost more than 1.6 million subscribers in 2011. The telco services (Verizon’s FiOS and [...]
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HDTV Almanac - Cable Loses; Telco Wins; SatTV Draws
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alfredpoor
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BobDiaz
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Re: HDTV Almanac - Cable Loses; Telco Wins; SatTV Draws
I'd hate to be in the Cable TV business right now, because both FiOS and U-verse offer the potential for almost unlimited video on demand. The technology already exists for FiOS and U-verse to have servers that could feed any video they have stored. Both FiOS and U-verse have the capacity to provide all the bandwidth needed to supply the video to the homes.
Most Cable TV systems are limited as far as bandwidth.
Bob Diaz
Most Cable TV systems are limited as far as bandwidth.
Bob Diaz
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alfredpoor
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Re: HDTV Almanac - Cable Loses; Telco Wins; SatTV Draws
Bob, I'd hate to be in the cable business right now too, and you make some good points. However, the competition from fiber is limited to a few densly-populated markets in the country. And since the telcos were not saddled with the requirement to provide 100% coverage the way cables were, there are some holes in those markets that still only have cable or satellite as their choices.
The fiber build-out is expensive, and Verizon has essentially put FiOS expansion on hold until it can increase the percentage of homes that subscribe where it's available.
And I don't expect cable technology to stand still. They are looking at ways to shove more data down those coax pipes. I don't expect it to ever catch up with fiber, but I do expect it to improve.
So for large areas of the country, cable is the only wired source for television content. Those companies are facing enormous challenges, however, and I don't envy the folks who are trying to make it work.
Alfred Poor
HDTV Almanac
The fiber build-out is expensive, and Verizon has essentially put FiOS expansion on hold until it can increase the percentage of homes that subscribe where it's available.
And I don't expect cable technology to stand still. They are looking at ways to shove more data down those coax pipes. I don't expect it to ever catch up with fiber, but I do expect it to improve.
So for large areas of the country, cable is the only wired source for television content. Those companies are facing enormous challenges, however, and I don't envy the folks who are trying to make it work.
Alfred Poor
HDTV Almanac