Didn't cable have ads too?

The amount of ads I see in life compared to the 90s is still drastically reduced.

Basic cable had ads, premium cable (HBO, Showtime, etc) usually only advertised future programming in between programs, but nothing during a program.

Not exactly, it's more like paying ten different cable companies at the same time.

They have a government granted temporary monopoly.

Permanent monopoly, because you'll always be watching what's current today, not 70 years ago

Kinda, but the back catalog has never been bigger or more valuable. There is good stuff from every era, and it only accumulates. What happens when the viewing mix is 10% new stuff, 90% classics?

buy DVDs I guess

Back when I had cable it was all like 15 minutes of content blocks separated by 30-minute blocks of ad. Because fuck me, I guess.