Mike Snider

USA TODAY

The blossoming list of on-demand programming choices are making every week a better week for "cord cutters" -- those who have dropped traditional pay-TV service for broadband Net-delivered video. That's because the pieces seem to keep falling together for a more robust online video marketplace.

In recent days, there's been plenty of signs that cutting the cord will be easier and more satisfying.

Movie lovers are likely anxiously awaiting FilmStruck, a subscription service coming from Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Collection this fall with its planned emphasis on art house, independent, foreign and cult films. TCM and Criterion said last week that they are planning to include more than 500 movies from Warner Bros. and other studios, and more than 1,000 Criterion films — with Seven Samurai, A Hard Day’s Night, Mad Max and The Player among them.

Turner, Criterion team up for movie service

Filmmakers and experts will be involved in special events and streaming premieres, too, said Criterion President Peter Becker in a blog post on Criterion.com.

"We’ll bring you carefully selected contemporary films that you might not find anywhere else," he says.

Filmmakers will be able to champion their favorite classics, "but now the movies will be available for subscribers to watch right on our channel."

Other providers are looking to deliver subscription-based bundles of programming that will be palatable to cord cutters:

•AT&T is expected to launch three different DirecTV streaming packages — no satellite or set-top box needed — later this year.

•Hulu is planning to expand its current on-demand video offerings with live broadcast channels from ABC, Fox, Fox News, ESPN, Disney Channel and other Fox channels, including its sports channels.

•Amazon's move to make its Prime Video streaming service available as a stand-alone subscription has Netflix expanding its futuristic purview. Reed Hastings, CEO of the No. 1 online video provider, said last month Netflix might eventually consider allowing downloads of movies, in addition to streaming — something Amazon already allows. "It’s something we should keep an open mind about,” he said in a conference call after Netflix released its first-quarter earnings.

The future promises not only more streaming services to choose from but also better ways to find stuff to watch. That's the likely result of entertainment tech company Rovi acquiring digital video recorder maker TiVo in a $1.1 billion deal announced about a week ago.

Both companies provide technological solutions for pay-TV providers and online video services alike, with Rovi best known for programming guides and TiVo for its easy-to-use interface that uses "thumbs up" and "season pass" features to identify viewers' favorites.

But TiVo also is committed to cord cutters. One case in point: TiVo's new 1 terabyte Roamio OTA DVR, priced at $399, is aimed those who don't use pay TV but want to watch Netflix and over-the-air TV broadcasts via an antenna. So the likely outcome will be even smarter TiVo guides and products.

All these happenings — and scores more — will help broadband video like Amazon, Netflix and Sling TV to continually cut into the amount of time consumers spend watching traditional pay or broadcast TV over the next decade, says research firm The Diffusion Group. The firm predicts the amount of time TV viewers spend watching broadband video will grow from an average of about six hours per week in 2015 to 16 hours per week by 2025.

Meanwhile, traditional TV watching will decline from about 34 hours per week to 24 hours per week by 2025. "In other words ... another 10 hours per week of per-capita video viewing will migrate from Legacy TV to Broadband Video services," the researchers say.

The good news? For that to happen, video lovers will likely be satisfied with what they are seeing.

"Cutting the Cord" is a regular column covering Net TV and ways to get it. If you have suggestions or questions, contact Mike Snider via e-mail at msnider@usatoday.com. And follow him on Twitter: @MikeSnider