The Demand For New Networks
By Sheldon I. Altfeld
“The Cable Maven”
Back in 1993, when I began conducting seminars on “How To Start Your Own Cable TV Network,” there were approximately 150 cable networks operating and the press was continually touting the so-called “500 Channel Universe.” To make what I considered a humorous statement about the proliferation of new networks, I put a new cover on the New York phone directory and declared it as our next “Cable Programming Directory.”
It turns out that the joke was on me, because as of November, 2007 (the most recent date available), the National Cable Telecommunication Association (www.ncta.com) lists 565 national cable networks being carried by 8,177 cable systems that serve 65,600,000 subscribers. Who knew?
