This kind of TV is the 'default' here in the UK (Freeview) - we get about 50-60 digital channels and 10 HD channels.
I suspect cable TV is actually on the rise here, but can't find stats to back that up.
I suspect cable TV is actually on the rise here, but can't find stats to back that up.
If you are in an an urban or a rural area in the lower 48 you can get a satellite package that is roughly equivalent to a cable package -- although you might need to cut down a tree or win a fight with your landlord, homeowner's association, etc. The only real drawback is that fading can get bad when it is wet (say you are staying at home watching TV because of a snowstorm but you can't get any TV)
For TV-only service there is definitely a price war situation with cable in urban areas, but all the services differentiate themselves as best they can. If you can't get enough of American Football, for instance, you can get the "NFL Sunday Ticket" from DirectTV which gives you pretty much all the football you could get without violating some law.
Here's one recent report about Virgin Media (the main cable TV provider in the UK)...
"just 5,100 new TV customers were added as revenues fell by 3.3 percent to £234.7 million"
http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/mobility/4g/virgin-media-say...
On the other hand, they have to pay an annual government tax just for owning a TV.
The BBC is awesome, I happily pay my tv tax :)
Not only is the BBC awesome, the licence fee is much lower than cable or satellite charges, and BBC programmes are not stuffed with mind-numbing adverts.