Many of the cable networks suffered from disenchantment caused by the slow surrender to pointless spectacle and inane personality. At the same time, however, the purveyors of high-quality, commercial-free programs—not only Netflix but HBO even earlier, as well as other networks like A&E and Showtime—began suddenly to prosper and attract audiences that approached the size of those attending prime time at its peak. HBO’s wildly popular show The Sopranos had more than 18 million viewers per episode over the early 2000s; a decade on, the network’s Game of Thrones would begin to reach 20 million per episode.

Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, loc. 1102