With 35% of US cable TV subscribers surveyed saying they would terminate subs in the next 5 years for online TV viewing, cable companies in the US are planning to evolve out of their set-top boxes.

T&A: Knowledge@Wharton released an article here describing how the cable television industry in the US is facing an increasing threat from Internet video sites like YouTube and Hulu.

To counter this, the cable TV industry is working on a plan to make cable subscriptions portable to any Internet-enabled device, be it a notebook or a mobile phone, at no extra charge.

One example mentioned was an announcement in June by Time Warner and Comcast to launch TV Everywhere, a service that allows cable subscribers to use their PC/Macs to watch on-demand programs from Time Warner’s TNT and TBS networks. Since then, CBS, HBO, Cinemax and Starz have made known their wish to be involved.

Of course, with 35% of respondents from a consumer survey done by Bernstein Research saying they would consider cutting a cable subscription in favor of online video in the next five years, this is definitely something the cable TV companies should be worried about (and do something about before it’s too late).

Is Sony Pictures going to be the first major studio to offer full-length movies on YouTube?

Sony-owned Crackle.com serves shows mainly to its Internet-enabled Sony devices.

T&A: Bloomberg released a report stating that the Entertainment Division of Sony Corp has started talks with Google on the possibility of posting movies on YouTube. While no major U.S. movie studio has yet to do what Sony intends to do, Sony Pictures’ move could open up the potential for other studios to consider doing the same.

According to the report, Sony Pictures has more than 60 vintage films in its archive, including television shows, which it might consider putting on YouTube. As of today, several TV shows and clips from CBS Corp. and eventually Walt Disney, have or would appear on YouTube as well. It is a known fact that most advertisers prefer to relate their pre-roll advertising campaigns to professionally produced content rather than home video material. (more…)