I think part of it is that they can charge content owners&#x2F;distributors (cable networks) more money with higher subscriber numbers.  It&#x27;s why I can pay $69&#x2F;mo for 100&#x2F;10 internet service from Comcast but for $99&#x2F;mo I get 80 channels of cable plus HBO on top of internet service.  If I were to buy only cable TV, that same package would not cost just $40&#x2F;mo but they&#x27;d rather have me boosting their cable sub numbers than just paying them for a data pipe so they heavily discount the price.