1 in 8 cutting cable and satellite subscriptions this year

We’re cutting the cord in big numbers this year. CNN Money reports that one in eight people in the U.S. will either eliminate or scale back their subscriptions to cable and satellite TV. The information is from a Yankee Group study. “The study, which was the result of a survey of pay-TV operators and more than 6,000 U.S. consumers, found that many will choose to drop premium channels or cut their service down to a basic package, while others will choose to cut off their service completely.” While the local affiliates wouldn’t suffer from someone cutting back to basic cable, this has to be cause for concern. As networks make more of their programming available on VOD and online, there’s less of a reason to receive even so much as a local signal. We have a generation now coming out of college that has been computer-centric in its diet of online TV shows. Local dependence on network programming will not be enough.