Network executives have alleged that television viewership is decreasing due to the availability of television programs on other platforms, such as the internet, video-on-demand, and mobile devices. These executives claim that declining viewership will cause advertising revenue to fall so far that networks will be unable to spend the large sums necessary to produce programs of the quality now available. That development, in turn, will lead to a dearth of programming for the very devices that cannibalized television's audience. However, technology executives point to research that indicates that users of these devices increase the number of hours per week that they watch television because they are exposed to new programs and promotional spots through these alternative platforms. This analysis demonstrates that networks can actually increase their revenue through higher advertising rates, due to larger audiences lured to television through other media.

In comparing the executives' arguments, the portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

(A) The first is an inevitable trend that weighs against the argument; the second is that argument.
(B) The first is a prediction that is challenged by the argument; the second is a finding upon which the argument depends.
(C) The first clarifies the reasoning behind the argument; the second demonstrates why the argument is flawed.
(D) The first acknowledges a position that the technology executives accept as true; the second is a consequence of that position.
(E) The first restates the argument through an analogy; the second outlines a scenario in which that argument will not hold.