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This Stat Explains Why Linear TV Is Dead
By Movieguide® Contributor
For the past couple of years, linear TV has been hanging on by a thread, but in 2025, that thread will be cut, and cable will begin its total free fall.
While 2025 may seem the same as 2024, a slight change in the entertainment landscape proves that is not the case. In 2025, for the first time, every top 50 TV broadcast will be available in some form to stream. Last year, 14 of the top 50 broadcasts were exclusive to TV — many of them being NFL games or award shows like the Oscars.
As live sports and shows like the Oscars become multiview programs, TV will no longer hold any significant program that isn’t available anywhere else. 2025 may still see some holdouts in the cable business as it is still the most convenient package for live sports, but soon this will no longer be the case.
The streamers offering live sports are starting to consolidate. Prime Video, for example, will continue to offer its THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL games while adding on NBA regular season and postseason games this year. Meanwhile, Disney’s upcoming sports streaming bundle, Flagship, which will likely include ESPN content, may create access to live sports in an offering that is impossible to beat.
Even the news is starting to make the inevitable shift towards streaming as major news sources realize they cannot carry cable on their own. Furthermore, most major news sources are owned by a company with a major streaming service, easing their transition away from cable.
READ MORE: IS THE END OF CABLE FINALLY HERE?
Though cable will likely remain available for the foreseeable future, its landscape will significantly change in the coming years. Many legacy companies are restructuring to allow for the sale or even bankruptcy of their cable networks without any effect on the larger company. In the end, one company may end up buying out all these spinoffs to create a singular cable provider for those desiring to continue with linear TV.
READ MORE: IS THE END OF CABLE FINALLY HERE?
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