The Surprising Near-Future of Television in America...

Making predictions is dangerous and arrogant. Making predictions almost ensures that the future you see will never actually happen, right? I know. Maybe I have had one too many nights in “self-isolation” during this year’s pandemic staring at a huge screen in my living room…

But, for those of you who are interested in the future of media here in America and you’re not afraid of outrageous statements — even after three and half years of President Donald Trump — here comes one more outrageous statement.

Prediction: The three “traditional” US television networks (CBS, ABC, NBC) will merge their enormous oceans of content to survive in a brutally tough video streaming environment. And, the merger will happen much sooner than you think: my prediction: 3–5 years.

Let me be clear: I am not saying CBS, ABC and NBC will merge their companies, but I do believe that they will merge their content to compete in today’s vicious online streaming environment.

Let that sink in for a minute…

Given the recent launches of “Peacock” (NBC), HBO MAX, Disney+ and yes, YouTube Live into a crowded field of video streamers that include Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Hulu, Crackle, Sling TV, Crunchy Roll and many others. You might have noticed that we here in the United…