Nielsen changes way it counts households to reflect “Cord Cutting”

According to the Associated Press article published today, the Nielsen Company is considering redefining what it considers a television household to include people who get service through Netflix or similar services instead of traditional TV signals.  

About three years ago, 99% of TV homes received traditional [e.g. cable] TV signals.   Now that has dipped just below 96%.   Three-quarters of the five million US homes that don’t get TV signals over other airways or through cable, satellite or telecommunications companies have televisions anyway and use these to watch programming on DVDs, streaming services such as NetFlix or Apple TV.   

I have been surprised by the resilience of cable and satellite TV over the past three years.   Could this finally be evidence that a glacial change away from traditional cable providers is occurring or is it a function of the poor economy?   My sense is the diversity of alternative forms of digital entertainment delivered through TV and mobile devices is drawing attention away from traditional TV programming delivered by cable operators which, in my opinion, has reached a nadir in quality.  

Could it also be evidence of not so much Cord Cutting, but younger people who never attached the cord in the first place?   Just as many young people today have never had land phone lines instead relying on mobile phones, could they also just avoid Cable TV in the first place? 

What are your thoughts?