Premium commercial-free cable channels grew to near network prime-time audiences

Evidence

Many of the cable networks suffered from disenchantment caused by the slow surrender to pointless spectacle and inane personality. At the same time, however, the purveyors of high-quality, commercial-free programs—not only Netflix but HBO even earlier, as well as other networks like A&E and Showtime—began suddenly to prosper and attract audiences that approached the size of those attending prime time at its peak. HBO’s wildly popular show The Sopranos had more than 18 million viewers per episode over the early 2000s; a decade on, the network’s Game of Thrones would begin to reach 20 million per episode. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 1102

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the pay-TV/premium cable thread in Wu’s earlier chapters on cable’s early promise of commercial-free TV. — connects to: Early cable channels organized around specific identity and demographic segments — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 616; Cable networks must cater to niche audiences rather than mass ones. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 813