Blame? Fuck “blame.” This TVWriter™ minion thinks streaming video deserves the credit:
by Chris Morran
Even though many of us have hundreds of channels to choose from on cable or satellite, we’re choosing to watch less live TV. But it’s not just because we’ve all decided to go outside and take up steeplechase; it has a little something to do with the availability of subscription streaming services.
The Wall Street Journal reports on a recent talk held by the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau in which the trade group tried to assign blame for the drop-off in TV viewership over the last two years.
The reportedly CAB explained at this gathering that around 40% of recent ratings drops are a result of competition from services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video.
Over the last few quarters, year-over-year viewership declines range from 9-12%. A recent research report from Nielsen claims that “the U.S. television industry is entering a period of prolonged structural decline,” due to consumers moving away from traditional commercial TV to streaming services with no, or fewer, commercials.