Increasing Numbers Of Americans Are Paying For TV
Even in our age of free, on-demand entertainment options it seems paying TV customers are growing.
A new report by SNL Kagan shows that even though people purport to be moving away from traditional media sources such as cable and satellite, they are actually sticking with the familiar more than expected.
The New York Times explains:
Regardless, more people are paying for TV: 99.9 million at the end of 2009, up from 97 million at the end of 2008.
The gain can be explained in part by the nation’s gradual population growth, but also by the enduring popularity of television in a fragmented media marketplace.
According to SNL Kagan, cable (Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, among the companies in the category) lost a total of 500,000 subscribers between 2008 and 2009; satellite (DirecTV, Dish Network) gained 1.4 million; and telecommunications (Verizon, AT&T) gained 2 million. Cable providers still dominate, however, with 62.1 million subscribers, while satellite competitors have 32.7 million and telecommunications companies have only 5.1 million.
Recent Articles By Dan Gould 
Dan is an information omnivore, autodidact and creative generalist who has written for publications including the Huffington Post, Jaunted and Time/CNN. Dan has also provided commentary on trends for media outlets such as Wired and Parade magazine.
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