• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, July 25, 2013

Linear TV and viewers? Breaking up isn’t that hard to do. But it might be a long, not-too-pretty split.

This week, Cablevision quietly expanded its cloud-based DVR system -- also called "network DVR" -- which can now record 10 shows at once.

On Wednesday, a Federal Court reaffirmed a lower court decision allowing Dish Network to continue its Hopper set-top box whose features include the ability to record entire broadcast primetime schedules with commercials being skipped.

Say hello to non-linear, anytime, any-direction TV. The kids are all doing it. A panelist at the OMMA Data-Driven Marketing conference, for instance, said his kids don’t watch linear TV at all.

This affects all TV networks, broadcast and cable, in a big way.  The networks continue to rush towards other revenue sources -- digital ad sales, video on demand, consumer fee-based program sales, social media TV- connected money, and retransmission revenues. 

It also causes the threat of TV station blackouts, lawsuits, and rip-roaring rhetoric with pointing fingers.

Despite all this evidence pointing in a non-linear direction, DVR, on-demand and other non-linear forms will account for only 15.8% of U.S. television viewing in 2015, up from 9.9% in 2010, according to IHS Screen Digest TV Intelligence Service.

There is a big demographic split in time-shifting technology, with young viewers looking for devices that give them the most flexibility and older viewers more stuck in traditional viewing patterns.

Also: Just under 50% of U.S. TV homes have DVR technology.

Looking to speed up the non-linear TV world? Wait for your favorite channel to tell you not to watch that next show live.