There is a growing chasm between people who watch broadcast TV and those who watch streaming shows. Consider that in 2015, Netflix subscribers watched CBS shows 42 percent less than non-subscribers. That means nearly half of Netflix subscribers have just stopped watching CBS. Netflix subscribers also watched Fox 35 percent less, ABC 32 percent less, and NBC 27 percent less.
Two reasons: no commercials, and the ability to watch whenever you want. The entire TV landscape will slowly shift to that model eventually. It’s just a question of who can unite all the stakeholders to bring an across-the-board streaming service. Apple seems well positioned, but the TV and film industries won’t let Apple do to TV and movies what they did to music.
I wish the iTunes Store rented TV episodes, like it did for about a year, from 2010 to 2011. A buck an episode; make them cheap and easy to watch, and people will flock to the iTunes Store. When Apple tried this, they priced the rentals at $2 – $3, which is too expensive for something you watch just once.
Source: Study: Netflix is a major reason people don’t watch network TV | Ars Technica