Text 2 Standard & Poor’s maintains a cautious stance on cable-TV operators in the wake of Verizon’s (VZ) announcement in early May of aggressive price cuts for its digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet-access service. Our overall outlook for the S & P Cable & Broadcasting index, which also includes shares of over-the-air TV and radio broadcasters, is neutral to modestly positive. Cable operators have so far ruled out an overt price war on broadband services. However, expect to see near-term responses like increased bundling of services, extended free months, more aggressive marketing and promotions, even modest price cuts from cable outfits that offer multiple services such as broadband as they defend their high- growth Internet-access Business. Continued rapid growth in digital cable and high-speed data services helped support the industry’s ongoing revenue growth. We at S & P are wary of price pressures on the long-term and short-term economics of cable’s broadband business. That’s especially true as another Baby Bell, SBC Communications (SBC), is also undercutting cable-service providers in many core markets. In their traditional business segment, U.S. cable operators continue to benefit from a modest rebound in advertising spending, following a significant downturn during the economic slump that started in 2001. The industry has actually increased its share of total U. S. ad spending. The cable sector posted uninterrupted revenue growth during the recent downturn, as its greater reliance on subscriber revenues gives it a more defensive posture than broadcasters. Subscriptions remain the industry’s primary revenue source, accounting for roughly 65% of the total, with advertising makes up the rest. Our near-term outlook for cable remains tempered by heightened levels of geopolitical anxieties, though the Iraq war’s end has alleviated their impact on advertising demand. Meanwhile, core subscription growth continues to be driven by robust rates of high-speed data sign-ups and by improved prospects for digital-video ancillary offerings like video-on-demand and high-definition TV. We believe that successful media operators will continue to anticipate, rather than react to, the ever changing dynamics of an increasingly competitive media environment. Even with increased regulatory surveillance, vertically and horizontally integrated media operators should begin to wield increasing competitive advantages as they leverage operating efficiencies and realize synergies across multiple delivery platforms. It can be inferred from the text that the economic slump ______.

A. dealt a greater blow to broadcasters for their dependence on ad spending
B. brought about a considerable downturn of U. S. advertising spending
C. slowed the revenue growth of cable operators during the recent downturn
D. kept the subscriptions for broadcasters at a lower level than cables