Lee Rainie, director of Elon University's Imagining the Digital Future Center, spoke with MassLive about why cable TV subscriptions have been declining.
Director of Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center Lee Rainie spoke with MassLive about cable subscriptions declining.
The outlet notes that cable subscriptions in Massachusetts, where MassLive is based, have fallen 45% since their peak.
“It’s a convergence of multiple trends,” said Rainie. “Cable subscribers used to pay for a bundle of stations — local news, sports — that bundle has been broken apart in modern years.”
MassLive notes that people can not put together their own bundle “a la carte.”
“With the internet you can throw your content online for free, like YouTube, and keep an archive on a free platform — as opposed to cable, where you had to pay for a slot,” Rainie said. “It’s benefited both customers and creators.”