Alternative TV Delivery Hits Record
- by David Goetzl @dgoetzl, June 9, 2011
In May, 30.9% of TV homes subscribed to ADS -- up from 30.3% in May 2010 -- while 60.6% subscribed to wired cable, down from 61.1% in May 2010. That's the lowest penetration since late fall 1989.
TVB releases the figures partly to advance its argument that buying local cable allows an advertiser to reach all TV homes.
Steve Lanzano, TVB president, reads those stats as evidence that "the cut-the-cord phenomenon is real, and that has implications for the advertising community. Advertisers who buy cable locally need to know that local wired cable systems' ability to deliver commercials continues to erode," he stated.
In the top 50 markets, the Greenville, S.C. market led with 47% of homes with ADS, with Birmingham, Alabama second at 46.2%, followed by Albuquerque, New Mexico at 45.3%.
Among top-20 markets, Denver led with 41.8% ADS, and Sacramento was second with 40.4%.
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Assuming very, very few people havd ADS and cable, we can deduce that 91.5 percent of homes don't need an antenna, which refutes that silly survey earlier this week from which the broadcasters were claiming 14 or 15 percent of homes need over-the-air signals. TVB and broadcasters should be on the same wavelength, so to speak.
You have to add the satellite numbers (roughly 20-25%) to the ADS figures, by doing so you come up with 80-85% total Pay TV. Throw in the 14-15% OTA numbers and you are at 100%. BTW, when you factor in 3rd and 4th sets, OTA numbers rise to about 25%.
People that reply otherwise are probably not in cable, satellite or OTA TV industry, just appear snide and misinformed.