• The New York Times, Monday, July 12, 2010 10:52 PM

Analysts said Verizon's aggression in Los Angeles -- it is highly unusual for a so-called switch campaign to pop up almost two months ahead of a deadline -- is fresh evidence that cable giants like Time Warner are under increasing pressure. Insurgents in the pay-TV delivery wars (Verizon, DirecTV, AT&T, Dish Network) that are trying to build market share by offering consumers more for less. And they are succeeding.

Six years ago, cable companies had 72% of the pie, satellite operators had 28% and telecom competitors had essentially none, according to SNL Kagan data. By last year, however, satellite had 33% and telecom 5%, whittling down cable's share to 62%. At the same time, all types of TV distributors have lost substantial ground in their reluctance to pay broadcasters like ABC and Fox the same kind of fees they pay cable-only channels like ESPN and TNT.

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