We knew this was coming:3Q subscriber losses were 275,000 from Comcast and 155,000 from Time-Warner. The cable companies say they aren’t sure whether it is cord-cutters moving to the internet, or people who took low-end subscriptions to replace analog TV after the shutdown. However, correlate this with netflix becoming the dominant source of Internet traffic on weekends, and you get a cloudy picture for the future of cable TV for premium content:
Their willingness to simply go without pay television could be a sign that Internet TV services such as Netflix and Hulu are finally starting to entice people to cancel cable, though company executives say the weak economy and housing market are to blame. Third-quarter results reported this week by major cable and satellite TV companies show major losses, but don’t settle the question of what’s causing them.
