And Aereo is taking existing signal from the affiliates, without having to pay the broadcast networks.
For years, cable has been grabbing eyeballs neglected by the repeat-heavy broadcast networks during the summer.
And judging from the screeners I've seen from the broadcast networks, they may be right.
All of this raises the question: How long until the broadcast networks turn into cable networks?
The competitive offering will feature content from all major studios, music labels and top local broadcast networks.
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Even broadcast networks are increasingly relying on distribution fees to ride out fluctuations in the ad market.
Magna expects broadcast networks' dollar volume could fall 2% while cable TV's volume could rise about 5%.
Broadcast networks and some local newspapers provide their wares free and charge advertisers for access to consumers.
Broadcast networks and many newspapers had little time or space for covering a gripping tale in the Caucasus.
The broadcast networks' continued viewership declines along with a recessionary marketplace factored into the decision-making process as well.
Jack Myers, editor of "The Myers Report, " sees commercial ratings as a "fait accompli" for the broadcast networks.
Netflix is hoping to take a bite out of that population tuning away from the "Big Five" broadcast networks.
Reality TV shows, not covered under current contracts, already occupy 35% of broadcast networks' primetime schedule, according to TVtracker.com.
The challenge facing the broadcast networks, he said, is to get viewers back and energized about the fall season.
Another major ad-buying company suggested that ad sales could be flat at broadcast networks and higher at cable networks.
Witness the struggles of postal services, newspapers, publishing companies, broadcast networks, retail video outlets, music producers, and many more.
In fact, all three original broadcast networks can be traced back to NBC.
Gone are the days when a marketing department could funnel messages through three major broadcast networks and see what stuck.
Even broadcast networks such as CBS are increasingly relying on distribution fees to ride out fluctuations in the ad market.
The old broadcast networks were regulated because of their "pervasiveness and accessibility, " but they possess nothing of the sort today.
"I'm rooting for all broadcast networks to do well in the fall, " he said of a business he calls incredibly vibrant.
As the ailing broadcast networks struggle to retain viewers and relevance, their cable brethren are again touting record viewership--and critical acclaim.
Anthony DiClemente of Barclays Capital expects NBC will see a 20% drop in upfront dollars, the largest decline among broadcast networks.
As a result, broadcast networks have been especially aggressive in pushing for higher fees from pay-TV providers that retransmit their content.
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According to TVtracker.com, this past season saw 65 unscripted series across all of the broadcast networks, up from 51 the year before.
The numbers come from in-home interviews of 26, 000 adults from March '05 to March '06, but the broadcast networks aren't buying it.
Republican tweets have tended to be passionate, so much so that far more of them have been aired by the broadcast networks.
Still, prime-time TV coverage remains of paramount importance to convention organizers because of the big audiences that still flock to broadcast networks.
That's more than twice the share of the other broadcast networks combined.
One sign of the broadcast networks' tempered expectations came from CBS Corp.
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