Horizontal Integration in the Cable Television Industry: History and Context

Abstract

This article offers an historical review and analysis of horizontal integration in the cable television industry. It traces ownership patterns from the inception of the earliest multiple system operators (MSOs) to the formation of today's industry behemoths. It is a business history that provides a panoramic view of the slow but steady concentration of holdings in the industry and looks at the contemporaneous forces that either accelerated or retarded such formation at given points in its development.