Cable-TV Networks See a Ray of Hope Amid the Cord-Cutting Clouds
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The bleak picture for cable TV networks industry looks a little less dire now that researchers are getting a better handle on sign-ups for online TV packages like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue.
Internet-based, cable-like services now have at least 1.3 million customers and are still growing, according to data released this month from Nielsen, which began counting such subscribers in January. With those subscriptions, the total number of households with some sort of multi-channel TV service, online or via cable or satellite, reached 97.6 million this month, up 68,000 from the May estimate, Nielsen said. That’s on top of growth of 261,000 subscribers from April to May.
The total number is still a decline of 2.4% from a year ago, the more usual point of comparison. And because Nielsen is gradually adding online services to its total, the figures may just reflect an adjustment in the data rather than actual industry growth. But Nielsen’s data do support the argument by cable networks such as ESPN that Sling, PlayStation Vue and their ilk will help make up for at least some of the loss of cable and satellite customers.
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