Monday, November 12, 2007
Penetration not likely
Despite the lurid headline, this edition of The Blog That Nobody Reads deals with cable penetration, currently mired somewhere in the mid-60% range. I say mired, because it's been stuck there for decades and show no signs of growing, perhaps shrinking more.
The reason it matters is this story in the New York Times today about the FCC changing the cable program rules once penetration hits 70%. If you read far enough, as few ever do in a bite-size news sphere, the experts already know the 70/70 rule is dead on arrival.
So it's a moot point. With satellite TV as a competitor, cable is unlikely to ever break the 70 sound barrier. Even before direct satellites were even launched, cable peaked (and plateaued) at 68%.
The reason it matters is this story in the New York Times today about the FCC changing the cable program rules once penetration hits 70%. If you read far enough, as few ever do in a bite-size news sphere, the experts already know the 70/70 rule is dead on arrival.
So it's a moot point. With satellite TV as a competitor, cable is unlikely to ever break the 70 sound barrier. Even before direct satellites were even launched, cable peaked (and plateaued) at 68%.
