DISQUS

Chris Anderson · 1 year ago

Adam,

Great post and great series. I think there's one line that should also be on the chart in Exhbit 1, and that's digital cable or "premium cable". Otherwise the decline in "basic cable" is unexplained.

Chris
Adam Thierer · 1 year ago

Thanks Chris. I have been thinking about adding the premium cable data to the household penetration rate chart but I'm trying to make sure I have the right data going all the way back. But the decline in basic cable is actually more a function of the rise of DBS (and now telco) competition in the multi-channel video marketplace. Again, that's more good news! I just need to find a good way to chart it all accurately.
Chris Brand · 1 year ago

Can you get "premium cable" without "basic cable" ? I'd be surprised.

"Satellite TV" does seem to be missing. I would guess that some of the "basic cabel" decline is explained by the "Internet access" line.
Adam Thierer · 1 year ago

Chris B. ... Satellite TV does appear on Chart 1. It is labeled as DBS (direct broadcast satellite).

But you are right about premium cable vs. basic. To get premium, you have to have basic. So, in essence, the "basic cable" data captures all those premium subscribers anyway. [I am not aware of any video service that provides access to a premium tier without first subscribing to basic. If I am wrong about that, however, the numbers would change slightly and it might be worth breaking out the two categories.]