The End of Cable TV as We Know It: Networks Face Uncertain Future as Comcast, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Lionsgate Get Rid Of Their Channels
(cordcuttersnews.com)https://cordcuttersnews.com/the-end-of-cable-tv-as-we-know-it-networks-face-uncertain-future-as-comcast-warner-bros-discovery-and-lionsgate-get-rid-of-their-channels/In a seismic shift for the media industry, major players Comcast, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), and Lionsgate have announced plans to or have spin off their cable TV networks into independent companies, signaling what many analysts are calling the beginning of the end for traditional cable television. Networks like MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, TNT, TBS, USA Network, and others, once cornerstones of the cable landscape, are being cleaved from their parent companies as the industry grapples with declining viewership, shrinking revenues, and the relentless rise of streaming platforms. This move underscores a stark reality: cable TV, once a cash cow for media giants, is no longer seen as a profitable venture worth keeping on their books.
This move marks a clear end to the current ownership of many major cable TV networks as their owners no longer see them as having a future worth holding onto.
Comcast, the nation’s largest cable and broadband provider, set the stage in November 2024 when it revealed plans to spin off NBCUniversal’s cable networks, including MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network, Syfy, E!, Oxygen, and Golf Channel, into a new publicly traded entity tentatively called “SpinCo.” The move, expected to be finalized by late 2025, aims to insulate Comcast’s core businesses—such as its broadband services and theme parks—from the declining fortunes of cable TV.
