A couple of news agencies are reporting an increase in the number of viewers that are canceling their cable subscriptions and turning to their phones or computers for their television viewing.  The actual rate of increase isn’t substantial, but it’s the first time that cable has seen a decrease in the number of viewers.

I can’t help but wonder if this is a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts.  The possibility that consumers may begin to leave their couches has been meme-ed about so frequently, which helps those same consumers realize that they have the ability to leave their couches.  All this is in the midst of a slow summer among new movie releases.

So movies are blaming television which is blaming Hulu and Hulu is using the buzz to launch a little IPO of their own.  As I reported a few months back, Nielson is also planning on an IPO, but a skeptical me sees Hulu as being the more lucrative investment of the two.

The service that Nielson provides is to let advertisers know how many people watch “How I Met Your Mother,” so they know how much money they should be paying CBS for the privilege of telling people what they should be spending their money on.   They are in the process of expanding their online offerings so they can provide more of the same information, but in different formats.  Knowing the demographics of your viewership online is trivial for providers.  This problem is why Nielson is not in a growth industry.  But perhaps I’m tangent-ing.  The original points I wanted to make in this article are as follows:

1.  Perhaps people don’t want to pay for cable because they’re unemployed.

2.  I hate the term “cutting the cord.”

3.  Sometimes you have to use terms you hate if they’re popular buzz words or else no one will find your new flashy blog.