That headline, of course (as much as the NYT's below) is almost a cliche for the past few decades. The article, though, paints a more dire picture.
We're not actually that big of a TV-watching family, and little of what we watch is on the major networks (though we do have some favorites). What I worry about is more TV going to pay channels — I don't think we watch enough to warrant subscribing to HBO, for example, and I keep dreading that one must-see series that shows up there.
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TV Networks Face Falling Ratings and New Rivals – NYTimes.com
The broadcast networks are preparing to unveil new fall lineups for an audience that is shrinking rapidly, lured away by new rivals on all sides.
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Interestingly enough, most of the shows we DVR are on the major networks. In part this is because we don't pay for any of the "movie" channels (HBO, Showtime, etc.) so anything good that airs on those channels will have to wait until it either A) ends up on basic cable (Band of Brothers on A&E) or B) is viewable on Netflix or Amazon Prime.
But even the stuff we record off the 4 big networks aren't anything we couldn't live without if we had to. I enjoy The Mentalist and Person of Interest and the original CSI (though it's starting to get as stupid as its spin-offs) and The Big Bang Theory (the only sitcom I watch at the moment), but none of them are anything I'd die if I couldn't watch them. The only reason we still have cable TV service at all is because there's just enough stuff on basic cable that we DVR to make it worth the bundle, but if we had to cut back on something we wouldn't have a problem losing the TV service to keep the Internet service.
As cable subscription numbers start dropping at a more rapid pace, I think premium channels like HBO will seek to change their model. I'm guessing they'll start offering streaming plans that are independent of cable providers. Without the cable overhead, there will be an opportunity for those plans to be cheaper as well.
How the streaming market will evolve and converge over time (and how you'll learn about what's out there without happening to stumble onto it) will be interesting to watch (so to speak).
A Netflix style interface would probably work fine. Or maybe a cable box program guide style interface where you can scroll ahead to see whats going to be available and when.
I really want something unified across the different streaming providers, not "Hmmm, is this on Amazon, or NetFlix, or XYZ, or …".
Also, something accessible online that doesn't suck chunks like Comcast/Xfinity's TV listing service.