HBO will offer stand alone streaming next year!! The fall of calble/dish is near

[DowningRules]

CBS and Showtime will follow HBO's lead, apparently.

 

 

Yes!  Yes!  Yes!  Let the dominoes fall!

[Skram]

I heard ESPN's business model described as charging the "65% of viewers who do not watch ESPN $6 a month to not watch ESPN."

[DowningRules]

I love what netflix, et al have done to re-shape the market.  The pressure on the traditional broadcasting networks and cable/satellite companies increases by the day.  From today's New York Times:

 

"The initiative is an attempt to stay relevant to a generation of “cord nevers,” people who have never paid for a standard television package, or the “cord cutters” who have canceled their cable or satellite subscriptions. This growing audience pays for Internet service and watches television programs and movies using cheaper streaming alternatives such as Netflix, which costs $7.99 a month. And the abundance of free web video on YouTube and other social media is also cutting into traditional TV watching.

Television executives are eager to woo those viewers, who often are younger and represent their future audiences. But at the same time, these traditional television networks must perform a careful balancing act to not cannibalize the billions of dollars in revenue they generate each year through existing business models.

 

and:

 

Reed Hastings, the chief executive of Netflix, said in an interview that the new wave of streaming options from traditional outlets validated his company’s long-held thesis that the Internet was replacing traditional television, apps were replacing channels, remote controls were disappearing and screens were proliferating. He said the increased competition would make Netflix work harder but also could help to evangelize the idea of Internet video.

“We are Internet disrupters, through and through,” Mr. Hastings said. “We are continuing to push that edge.”"