Business Week reports that in all, some 40 percent of U.S. cable-TV subscribers are unhappy with their current service, saying it lacks variety of content and features, according to research conducted by software giant Microsoft.
Many are flocking to content delivered directly over the Internet, often shunning programming delivered via traditional cable or satellite systems. The number of people viewing video online rose 18 percent in March from October, according to comScore, which tracks Web trends. The average consumer viewed slightly less than 100 minutes of online video content a month, compared with an average of 85 minutes in October.
That could translate to a windfall for Internet companies and service providers eager to serve up video for a fee, or sell advertisements posted alongside that programming. To name a few: YouTube.com, MSN Video, MySpace, AOL's In2TV, and Google Video.
"It's bad news for traditional television," says Colin Dixon, an analyst with The Diffusion Group, a consultancy in the digital-home markets and new media. "We are educating a whole new generation of viewers that TV is irrelevant."
Many are flocking to content delivered directly over the Internet, often shunning programming delivered via traditional cable or satellite systems. The number of people viewing video online rose 18 percent in March from October, according to comScore, which tracks Web trends. The average consumer viewed slightly less than 100 minutes of online video content a month, compared with an average of 85 minutes in October.
That could translate to a windfall for Internet companies and service providers eager to serve up video for a fee, or sell advertisements posted alongside that programming. To name a few: YouTube.com, MSN Video, MySpace, AOL's In2TV, and Google Video.
"It's bad news for traditional television," says Colin Dixon, an analyst with The Diffusion Group, a consultancy in the digital-home markets and new media. "We are educating a whole new generation of viewers that TV is irrelevant."