Cable owns 75% of TV market, satellite - 22%

The FCC said the number of non-broadcast channels - such as HBO, CNN and ESPN - has grown from slightly more than 100 in 1994 to more than 330 in 2003. The FCC report found that cable, which had a near-monopoly 10 years ago on delivering programming to households willing to pay for it, now has 75% of the market. Satellite services have 22%. Other competitors, such as telephone companies or electric utilities, have the rest of the market. About 70.5 million households subscribe to cable; 23.7 million get satellite service. Even with the increased competition, cable rates have continued to rise faster than inflation. Congress deregulated the cable industry in 1996; over the next seven years rates increased by 53%, while inflation rose 19%.