Programming Is the Big Story

The past 30 years have witnessed countless technology breakthroughs that have changed the way viewers watch television -- from the widespread adoption of the VCR, to DVDs, digital video recorders, high-definition televisions, flat-screen televisions and the list goes on. Looking back, however, the author would argue that the biggest impact on what people watch has been the explosive growth and success of cable and pay television services. The rise of cable is the television story of the past 30 years. Top 10 cable networks, like USA, TBS, Discovery Channel and others, regularly have hit programs that beat out broadcast networks among their key demographics.