4 ms·
This is clearly and obviously a well worn trope and false. Cable TV started as a method to rebroadcast broadcast TV with ads in places that could not get broad
by scarface74 4y ago
This is clearly and obviously a well worn trope and false.
Cable TV started as a method to rebroadcast broadcast TV with ads in places that could not get broadcast TV.
Then HBO came along. But was always a premium channel.
Then the Superstations came along that were rebroadcast of local channels nationally like TBS and WGN with ads.
Then cable channels like CNN, MTV, and ESPN came along - with ads.
There has never been a time that cable TV was ad free.
- ghaff 4y agoYes, and if one reads that article--rather than just the headline--it's largely about how many viewers assumed that paying for cable would mean they'd have fewer ads but that wasn't actually happening.
- beowulfey 4y agoTo me the article read as if cable as it was at the time of writing had minimal advertising, but networks were planning to introduce more of them. I thought it fit the comparison with Youtube slowly ramping up ads really well.
- scarface74 4y agoSince most “cable” channels were just rebroadcast over the air channels early on, there was no reason to expect that there were going to be fewer ads. In fact, in the 80s, there was a lot more infomercials on cable TV than today. The only reason there were fewer ads was because cable channels were still trying to get companies to advertise.
- beowulfey 4y agoI was referring to the premium channels specifically