Due to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and other successful streaming services, the cable appears to be dying out from a lack of this generation’s attention. But history does tend to have that crazy habit of repeating itself— and cable’s prominence in society is no exception.
In light of these recent streaming services, the audience of traditional cable-watching has dwindled drastically. According to tech jury, in 2018, there were 33 million cord cutters in the United States. Cord cutters are those who decide to ditch the cable in their household.
The main reason for this drastic cut was due to cable’s continuously rising monthly prices. It makes sense that people are now avoiding cable and joining streaming services instead.
But if everyone is jumping to streaming services and off regular cable TV, will streaming services rise in prices the same way cable did? Possibly, yes.
This has already been evident in the cost of Netflix. According to USAtoday, “Netflix [has] rais[ed] the rates to fund its push into original programming.” With streaming services’ growing in popularity, companies will each push the envelope to see how far they can take their successes.
On the other hand, cord cutting was also due to streaming services adding live TV and/ or keeping up with the uploading of weekly shows airing on cable. Because of this, cable seemed relatively pointless. People thought they were essentially getting rid of cable by cutting the cord and joining these new cable-infused streaming services. In reality, though, cable is simply coming back to them in a new form.
“What’s newer are the growing number of video streaming services, such as DirecTV Now and Sling TV, that are designed to replace a typical cable TV package,” according to ConsumerReports. Because of this, cable no longer has to be watched on television. Instead of limiting yourself to only this method of watching, cable providers have morphed their services into things that are accessed in the same way Netflix and Hulu are. For example, cable can be viewed on a phone, tablet, computer or any other device.
Using these items, we think we’ve ditched cable. But all we have really done is get rid of the boxes in our living rooms. The only thing that can really be considered “dying” about cable is the traditional way we watched it. The on-the-go, on-demand, new way of viewing cable has adapted to our modern society’s on-the-go lifestyles. And that, I have to note, is a very good business.