Why Aereo’s Loss Hurts the TV Industrial Complex in the Long Run

[Commentary] So it looks like Aereo will have to fold up the tent. What else will happen in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision? Nothing. Which is a problem, both for consumers and for the media companies celebrating their victory.

Aereo’s legalized presence would have certainly given the networks and providers a reason to move much faster to provide their own specialized packages. Not “a la carte” TV, where a TV subscriber can sign up for Disney and Comedy Central, but not ESPN and MTV. But at least a slimmed-down offering with a range of options and prices.

Now we’re back to a world where the only incentive the TV guys have to move faster is the nagging fear that their growth has permanently stalled, and that their subscription rolls will decline as new generations of video-watchers enter a world where paying for TV seems ridiculous. That group of “cord-nevers” hasn’t grown big enough to show up on the TV Industrial Complex’s books yet. But it’s hard to imagine it won’t get there.