The internet has wreaked havoc on many powerful industries.  We have already documented here the internet’s treacherous impact on album sales (254 platinum albums in 1997 vs 38 in 2010).  VOIP and cost effective cell phone plans have reduced home telephones to nothing more than a throw in for companies trying to scrape in a few extra bucks.

It seems that cable subscriptions are next on the chopping block.  For years cable companies have enjoyed complete control over their territories.  This has allowed them to dictate prices and control what channels can and can’t be watched.  The advent of  online piracy and on demand services like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and iTunes video make traditional cable less and less attractive by the day.

A low end cable subscription costs $40.  With that you get basic cable, local news, and a few movies.  Netflix and Hulu both cost around $10 a month and have massive libraries of content.  YouTube is well…YouTube.  iTunes video is rapidly gaining in popularity among people willing to buy content and watch it on their computer or on Apple TV.

Each of these options is much cheaper than cable and offers an on demand experience.  It would seem that cable is going the way of the home phone.  What do you think?

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