Good point. So why are they doing it? You think they are/are not making money?
Wait, you mean they are making a profit? Oh the hugh manatee!!! a business making profit.. someone call big brother, this must be stopped at once!!
Hmm. The cable companies have the spare bandwidth, and they can make a few bucks catering to even a smallish clientele.
My bet would be that the people who order this come in three flavors: single guys with spare change, big-screen televisions, and the desire to watch porn in a nicer environment than their office affords; couples; groups of guys watching “action films” together at a party, a frat event, stuff like that. It’s a lot easier to order a porno on cable than to rent it.
The missus and I have watched a few such films on cable that were spur-of-the-moment, “Let’s try it,” events on a Saturday night when our kid was out with friends. While it’s always initially titillating, it also gets boring fast. The acting is usually unbelievable, and destroys any mood. It always turns out to be less exciting than we hoped and a waste of money.