http://variety.com/2017/biz/news/pay-tv-...202616516/

Very interesting news regarding growth in streaming service subscribers. The research firm MoffettNathanson estimates that virtual cable packages (Sling, Hulu Live, Playstation Vue, Directv Now, etc.) added 962,000 subscribers in Q3. This compares to losses for traditional cable and satellite services of 872,000 subscribers for the same period. In other words, when traditional cable and satellite subscriptions are added with virtual subscriptions there was a combined net gain of 90,000 subscribers. This is very good news for most, but not all, cable networks.

Quote:The dynamics in the pay-TV biz are splitting programming groups in “haves” and “have-nots,” according to Moffett.

The haves: CBS, Fox, NBCUniversal and Disney, which are included in nearly every virtual internet-TV service. The have-nots, whose networks average less than 50% penetration into virtual pay-TV services, are A+E Networks, Discovery Communications, Scripps Networks Interactive (which is being acquired by Discovery), Viacom and independent networks, per Moffett’s analysis.

(11-20-2017 01:26 PM)orangefan Wrote:  http://variety.com/2017/biz/news/pay-tv-...202616516/

Very interesting news regarding growth in streaming service subscribers. The research firm MoffettNathanson estimates that virtual cable packages (Sling, Hulu Live, Playstation Vue, Directv Now, etc.) added 962,000 subscribers in Q3. This compares to losses for traditional cable and satellite services of 872,000 subscribers for the same period. In other words, when traditional cable and satellite subscriptions are added with virtual subscriptions there was a combined net gain of 90,000 subscribers. This is very good news for most, but not all, cable networks.

Quote:The dynamics in the pay-TV biz are splitting programming groups in “haves” and “have-nots,” according to Moffett.

The haves: CBS, Fox, NBCUniversal and Disney, which are included in nearly every virtual internet-TV service. The have-nots, whose networks average less than 50% penetration into virtual pay-TV services, are A+E Networks, Discovery Communications, Scripps Networks Interactive (which is being acquired by Discovery), Viacom and independent networks, per Moffett’s analysis.

Tends to support what Ive been saying for a while. The most most watched content category on television is sports (by a wide wide margin). The next most watched category is news--which is less than half as heavily watched as sports. Scripted TV follows well behind those two categories. An entity like ESPN, that has a huge catelogue of sports content rights is going to do just fine in this new mixed streaming/cable/OTA environment.