With so many moves being made to bring TV shows online, local affiliates are beginning to wonder how they fit into the future of media, reports CNET.

The affiliates are concerned that people are choosing other options for watching TV shows and shutting them out. Many shows are now available for streaming or downloading online, not to mention on DVD just months after they air. That means affiliate stations, once a powerful partner to networks because they were the ones directly connecting with watchers, have lost much of their clout.

Affiliates may still find salvation in the switchover to digital signal transmission, which may make unused bandwidth available for sale; an asset sale strategy that may be cold comfort to affiliates hoping to remain in business. Some are also looking for ways to solicit content from their local communities as a way to attract viewers.