BDU Outlook: OTT looks to trim $1.7 billion in revenue by 2017, but broadband income will compensate

CORD-CUTTING, OR SHAVING, could take a big, 1.7-billion-dollar bite out of Canadian television distribution revenues by 2017, according to a new report from RBC Capital Markets. While that sounds pretty painful, the reports authors call that a modest hit to an industry which pulls in some $10 billion annually. The real challenge will be after that, during what they call the 2017-’19 inflection period, where cord-cutting could really accelerate, especially if over-the-top video services grab much more of the premium programming and the traditional industry isn’t proactive. “Prior to our OTT inflection period, we do not expect the financial impact...