Cable has grown to hundreds of channels people don't watch but have to pay for anyway. In the early days cable was cheaper but had far fewer channels. Streaming services are basically just a return to the early days of cable, and streaming services seem to be following the same pattern that cable did - add channels and increase price. If cable wants to compete with streaming all they have to do is offer streaming sized packages at competitive prices, instead of just the massive packages of stuff people don't want. Most would probably stick with their cable if they could downsize. Plus as you pointed out streaming does have a downside for people with inadequate internet. What people want is affordable a la cart options, but this may never be an option because this option may never actually be affordable. Streaming is just a stripped down version of the same thing with a few technological perks, and it is cheaper which is why people are choosing it.