The Decline of Cable

I read this article about the decline of cable. Similarly on Saturday I was in a group of four, three engineers and one nonengineer, all ages 23-30. The only person with cable was the nonengineer, who probably makes less than half of what the rest of us make.

A few reminders why I went cable and Internet free when I moved to Dubuque:

• $45 a month for a two year contract or $55 a month for a one year contract just for Internet
• Bundled cable and Internet was around $90 a month. 
• For $90 a month I can go out for tea ($3-4) ten times a month and coffee (lattes $3-5) fifteen times a month. 
• At the coffee shops I can watch the Olympics or The Walking Dead or whatever else I might like.
• It's more social to go out than stay in alone. Yes, I do meet people.
• I take walks around town and read books quite often instead of sitting and watching something like I would if I had a subscription.

What will the future be like? Something like iTunes, with series, but still commercials, probably fewer. More of a pay for exactly what you watch sort of thing. The advertisements will be based on similar shows because the ability to just turn on the TV and watch a random show you have never heard about before will probably not happen nearly as much as it does today. That's bad news for networks. The good news is you will get what you pay for instead of having to pay for things you don't want.