The threat of cord cutting is finally a reality, says industry analyst Craig Moffett. He says the first quarter saw the largest-ever decline in cable subscribers, and projects that the percentage of Americans who pay for TV will drop from 88 percent this year to 82 percent in 2020.
Moffett says cable distributors "have very little ability to push back on the escalation in their costs. But they're hearing from their end users that prices are increasing too fast; they're between a rock and a hard place."
Addressing those concerns, at the National Cable Show in Washington DC, the cable distributors are showcasing all sorts of new technologies to give their subscribers greater value for that monthly cable bill, and keep them hooked.