as a former escalations agent for a major cable company, i can tell you the scene is about to change big time.
right now most people have to make a "sacrifice" in order to ditch cable. there are a lot of services exclusive to cable that people plan their lives around. people who are big into gaming MUST have fast broadband. people who are obsessed with certain sports MUST have cable or satellite. people who are homebound MUST have something to watch whether or not they can afford internet.
right now we are at a point where the newer options don't necessarily meet everyone's demands, so cable is still in a decent position (for the time being). each year though more options come out that are "just enough" for people to make that leap. i remember when hulu came out everyone swore it was the end of cable. it's just not that simple.
as the networks get greedier with their contract negotiations, cable is having a hard time keeping options on the table for a fair price. the networks are essentially shooting themselves in the foot because when people drop cable, it means they either stopped watching or found it for cheaper, either way the networks lose in the long run.
just to illustrate how much some people "need" cable, i had a woman on the phone once who was literally in labor and screaming at me that her tech was late. i've heard of mobs of neighbors chasing down a cable guy and blocking his truck, surrounding the thing banging on the windows and doors, demanding he fix their shit when he was only there to audit taps lol.
cable does crazy shit to people.
