We measure the welfare distortions from endogenous quality choice in imperfectly competitive markets. For U.S. cable-television markets between 1997-2006, prices are 33% to 74% higher and qualities 23% to 55% higher than socially optimal. Such quality overprovision contradicts classic results in the literature and our analysis shows that it results from the presence of competition from high-end satellite TV providers: without the competitive pressure from satellite companies, cable TV monopolists would instead engage in quality degradation. For welfare, quality overprovision implies that cable customers would prefer smaller lower quality cable bundles at a lower price, amounting to a twofold increase in consumer surplus for the average consumer.
Authors
![Person graphic](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/IFS-person-graphic.png?itok=hWCtTSrz)
Matthew Shum
![Greg Crawford](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-07/Greg%20Crawford.jpg?itok=TXcBsALc)
Research Associate University of Zurich
Greg Crawford is a Research Associate of the IFS, a Research Fellow at the CEPR and a Professor of Economics at the University of Zurich .
![Person graphic](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/IFS-person-graphic.png?itok=hWCtTSrz)
University of Mannheim
Report details
- Publisher
- IFS
Suggested citation
G, Crawford and O, Shcherbakov and M, Shum. (2019). Quality Overprovision in Cable Television Markets. London: IFS. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/quality-overprovision-cable-television-markets (accessed: 1 July 2024).
Related documents
More from IFS
Understand this issue
![State Pension claim form](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2023-12/state-pension-claim-form.jpg?itok=OCixJu9J)
Where next for the state pension?
13 December 2023
![Nice houses with city in the background](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2023-12/nice-houses-with-city-in-background_0.jpg?itok=TDx-TwSe)
Social mobility and wealth
12 December 2023
![Chancellor Jeremy Hunt with red box](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2023-12/chancellor-jeremy-hunt-with-red-box.jpg?itok=Dah5hdYC)
Autumn Statement 2023: IFS analysis
23 November 2023
Policy analysis
![Welsh town with mountains behind](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Welsh-town-feature.jpg?itok=5axb5wZn)
How would the parties’ tax and spending plans affect Scotland and Wales?
28 June 2024
![Man putting vote into ballot box](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-07/Man-putting-vote-into-ballot-box.jpg?itok=Pa6g41dr)
General Election 2024: Manifesto Analysis Presentations
24 June 2024
![Shopping street](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Street-scene-.jpg?itok=R39cR6Xp)
How do the last five years measure up on levelling up?
19 June 2024
Academic research
![Working paper cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2024-06/WP202428-The-impact-of%20labour-demand-shocks-when-occupational-labour-supplies-are-heterogeneous.jpg?itok=Erq9-V9O)
The impact of labour demand shocks when occupational labour supplies are heterogeneous
28 June 2024
![Working Paper Cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2024-06/WP202427-The-impact-of-flexibility-at-work-on-fertility_Page_01.jpg?itok=pHaEvbkK)
The impact of flexibility at work on fertility
11 June 2024
![Working Paper Cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2024-06/WP202426-Intergenerational-mobility-in-socio-emotional-skills_Page_01.jpg?itok=wH1znQhh)
Intergenerational mobility in socio-emotional skills
5 June 2024