NCTA shutters its 65-year-old cable show, INTX

The NCTA today announced that it is ending its annual trade show, the recently rebranded INTX.

The organization also said it will not go through with its 2017 plan to hold the event in April in Washington D.C.

“We are now exploring new and better ways to tell our story, to gather our community, to advance our growth and present our vision of the future,” said NCTA President and CEO Michael Powell in a blog post. "We believe large trade show floors, dotted with exhibit booths and stilted schedules have become an anachronism. Contemporary venues emphasize conversation, dialog, and more intimate opportunities to explore and interact with technology. Ending INTX gives us a clean slate and we are excited to explore presenting our industry in new and different ways.”

The move comes after another attendance drop for the show, previously branded as “The Cable Show,” with the Boston-based INTX in May producing disappointing turnouts. Behind the scenes, individuals close to the NCTA said there was concern that the Washington, D.C. engagement next spring — which would overlap directly with NAB in Las Vegas — would face serious challenges in matching even the modest support garnered in 2016.

The NCTA rejected suggestions that it combine with other conferences, including the ongoing SCTE Cable-Tec Expo, which is still going on in Philadelphia this week.

The move follows an announcement last week by the erstwhile National Cable Telecommunications Association — it rebranded itself as the “NCTA - The Internet and Television Association.”

“NCTA has hosted a trade show for 65 years,” Powell added. “It has been a fixture of our organization and our industry, and in its time it served a valuable purpose. Many of us have many fond memories of shows gone by and will continue to swap stories about past experiences. But all good things must come to an end. And endings hold the promise of new beginnings.”

For more:
- read this NCTA blog post

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