Outlook for television providers is decidedly sunny

Broadcast, cable and satellite providers will be doing just fine by 2014 as they find their footing in the digital world and the economy improves, consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers says today in its annual "Global Entertainment and Media Outlook" -- one of the media industry's most widely used resources.

Television will continue to be "driven by the traditional (TV) companies and traditional content" as many people begin to watch videos on high-speed Internet-connected PCs and smartphones, says Stefanie Kane, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers' Entertainment & Media Practice. That's welcome news for conventional TV providers after last year, when their ad sales fell 11% to $60.4 billion, according to the report. They'll make up that lost ground by 2012 and generate $75.7 billion from advertising in 2014, the firm forecasts. That doesn't include a jump in sales for TV transmitted via broadband. Advertisers will spend $4.8 billion in 2014, up 177% from last year, on shows that the traditional TV companies will offer online and to mobile devices, according to the forecast. Consumers also will pay more for television.