Powered by TMCnet
 
| More

Cable Technology Feature Article

December 31, 2012

Cable Not Likely to Go Dark in 2013

By Steve Anderson, Contributing TMCnet Writer


While a lot of folks are making the move toward digital sources, there are some that believe the cable cutting movement isn't going to gain as much ground as expected, especially in certain places.

Kasikorn Research Center suggests that while the growth rate may start to slow, there will still be plenty of ground to gain and ample opportunity to take advantage of, especially in Southeast Asia.

There will be an increasing demand for Thai television, according to Kasikorn Research, especially in regions like Laos, Cambodia, and of course the massive marketplace represented by China. With increasing demand comes increasingly large numbers of firms competing for their share of the market, and that means several new players are likely to emerge in the market space.

An upcoming non-frequency and cable TV license auction will likely facilitate some of that growth, and the market should be pretty brisk – at least as far as Southeast Asia goes.

But it's not just the Southeast Asian market that is likely to see cable gains, as analysts like Jessica Reif Cohen suggest that a housing market rebound in 2013 will boost the United States' economy and give consumers confidence sufficient to get them signing up for cable subscriptions again.

Not everyone agrees with these projections, though, and there's no denying that the cable-cutting movement is gaining ground in a lot of places. Cable's advantages of convenience and material will certainly allow it to hold much of its current ground, and potentially make some gains, but there will likely be many who look at their cable bills, and compare the prices offered by the likes of Netflix and Hulu (News - Alert) Plus and wonder why they're paying what they're paying.

Cable certainly has its work cut out for it. The growth of online venues – YouTube alone, at last report, receives an average of three full days' worth of video every single minute – ensuring that there will always be something to watch, and it's a fair bet that it will be to someone's taste. The steady rise of other major services, and the ever-present threat of Internet piracy, will ensure that cable will have a lot of competition for the foreseeable future.

Cable will have to prove that it has the value users will want in order to keep signing those checks or allowing those balance transfers every month. A tall order, but with some careful attention to detail and some improved product offerings, cable will likely hold most of the ground it currently has.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO Miami 2013, Jan 29- Feb. 1 in Miami, Florida.  Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.




Edited by Braden Becker


blog comments powered by Disqus