Media executives say they’re confident the digital frontier is big enough for more paid video services. They’re gambling that a rising number of cable TV cord-cutters will enlarge the pool of customers.
Consumers like Emery represent an inconvenient truth for the burgeoning online video industry. Just 16 per cent of US broadband homes subscribe to three or more video services, according to researcher Parks Associates. And nearly two-thirds of TV homes already get at least one of the big three: Netflix, Amazon Prime or Hulu, according to Nielsen.“Netflix and Hulu got in early, so that’s where I’m willing to invest my money,” said Emery, 41, a bank risk officer who lives in Kernersville, North Carolina. “I don’t have unlimited funds.”To keep his family of four entertained, Ben Emery pays about $180 a month for Spectrum TV and internet service, Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu. He gets Amazon mostly for free shipping and Hulu in part because his 5-year-old daughter likes “Teen Titans Go.”
That’s the dilemma for the growing ranks of providers, now pegged by Parks Associates at around 200 in the US alone. Just last week, AT&T Inc said it will introduce a service with HBO and other fare from its recent Time Warner Inc purchase, while Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg revealed details of his upcoming offer for high-end, short-form video. They’ll debut late next year — about when Walt Disney Co’s new online channel launches.
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