Future of Cable TV

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July 16th, 2017 at 8:46:36 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
Smithsonian Channel has a new series called
America in Color. I just saw the first in the series
on Youtube, The 1920's.

Stunning and mesmerizing doesn't even cover
it. 1000% better than that colorized crap they
were doing in the 80's. They've taken archival
footage and made it jump off the screen at you.
I've never felt as close to history as I did
watching this. The people and events and streets
come alive, it's like I'm seeing something
that happened a few years ago, not 100.

There's a lot more coming. I'm a huge history
buff, I've seen every American history docu
there is. This beats them all by a mile.
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
August 1st, 2017 at 11:16:16 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569

Could YouTube TV Mean the End of Cable?
The $35-a-month live-television package is the latest to try to capture the attention of cord-cutters.

This announcement a few weeks ago seems to imply that YouTubeTV would mark the end of cable. But these new streaming services are essentially Cable TV delivered in a slightly different manner.

But Demand Libraries are delivering more entertainment than an average person could possibly watch at a very low price, and it is all commercial free.

TV Shows- Movies (last year)
1131(96) 1104(97) Hulu $12
882(151) 3582(667) Netflix $10
512(182) 7419(108) Amazon Prime $11
90(13) 678(88) HBO Now $15
34(6) 331(42) Showtime $9
80(10) 138(93) Starz $9
119(9) 2(0) Acorn TV (British shows) $5


Obviously sports need to be watched live, and to some extent news does as well. But if you are really honest, about 90% of the time when you are watching news it is not really about a live event.
August 1st, 2017 at 1:33:20 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
Discovery is buying Scripps for 14 billion. Scripps
owns a bunch of cable networks, big ones. This
will put DC on the top in cable.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2017/07/31/discovery-pays-14-6b-for-scripps-female-friendly-shows.html
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
August 1st, 2017 at 2:02:31 PM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Quote: Evenbob
Discovery is buying Scripps for 14 billion.


Discovery , the owner of unscripted channels like Animal Planet and TLC wants to bundle the Scripps networks with its own in an online service for as little as $3 to $4 a month.
August 14th, 2017 at 6:23:11 AM permalink
ams288
Member since: Apr 21, 2016
Threads: 29
Posts: 12422
My promotional rate with ATT Uverse just ended yesterday, so I just did my yearly "call the cable company and threaten to switch to their competitor if they can't get me another promotional rate" call.

Worked like a charm, as always.

As always, the first person I talked to was some guy in some foreign call center who couldn't do much for me. Once we get to the point where he tells me that I'm currently getting the best deal possible, I say, "So what do I have to do to just cancel service all together and switch to Comcast?"

Those are the magic words. He immediately transfers me to someone in the "Loyalty Dept." to see what they can do for me.

The "Loyalty Dept." is always someone actually located in America (imagine that!).

Within 10 minutes, she locks in a monthly rate $30 cheaper than what foreign call center guy was offering, and even cheaper than the equivalent Comcast promotional rate that I was threatening to switch to. I'm a happy camper.
“A straight man will not go for kids.” - AZDuffman
August 14th, 2017 at 9:20:23 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Quote: ams288
My promotional rate with ATT Uverse just ended yesterday, so I just did my yearly "call the cable company and threaten to switch to their competitor if they can't get me another promotional rate" call.


How does the rate you get from ATT Uverse compare with just purchasing internet and buying one of ATTs Direct TV Now packages at $35,$50, $60, or $70?

Eventually, DirecTV and U-verse will come together as a unified product. Think of it as next-generation TV built upon both cable and satellite TV services. It just makes more sense from a business standpoint.
August 14th, 2017 at 10:00:07 AM permalink
ams288
Member since: Apr 21, 2016
Threads: 29
Posts: 12422
Quote: Pacomartin
How does the rate you get from ATT Uverse compare with just purchasing internet and buying one of ATTs Direct TV Now packages at $35,$50, $60, or $70?


I have no idea. I have the biggest TV package available (includes HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz). I'm not sure if there is a comparable package out there...

But each year when I call, they try to get me to switch from Uverse TV to DirecTV by offering me some nice DirecTV bundle. This year I just cut her off right away and said I don't want to switch to satellite right at the beginning of her spiel.
“A straight man will not go for kids.” - AZDuffman
December 28th, 2017 at 12:55:42 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Latest research says 15% of U.S. broadband households have antenna-only TV service. But 63% of U.S. broadband households subscribe to at least one OTT service and 31% of U.S. broadband households have multiple OTT service subscriptions.

Not surprisingly the cost of broadband is going up. According to analysis groups, the cheapest standalone option Comcast offers that meets the FCC's 25 Mbps definition of broadband, (the Performance tier) will soon cost users $75 per month. That of course doesn't include the $11 per month modem rental fee (up $1 since last month), or the usage caps and overage fees applied on top of that rate.

Website advertises Comcast Performance tier for $40 a month as a standalone service FOR THE FIRST YEAR, but a two year contract is required. I am about 8 miles outside of COMCAST service area, and RCN charges $30 a month for 25 Mbps standalone service FOR THE FIRST YEAR, but no contract is required.
April 4th, 2019 at 6:23:10 PM permalink
Fleastiff
Member since: Oct 27, 2012
Threads: 62
Posts: 7831
Quote: terapined
Amazon Prime vs Netflix?
I currently have Netflix
I see Amazon Prime has the series Bosch
I'm a huge Michael Connelly fan, read all the Bosch books
Thinking of switching to Amazon Prime just for Bosch

April 19th. Bosch goes undercover on a Chinese fentanyl sting. Things go awry right from the start.
i'll probably binge watch it.
February 19th, 2020 at 3:35:47 PM permalink
reno
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 58
Posts: 1384
Cable & satellite companies lost 3.2 million subscribers in 2018.
Cable & satellite companies lost 5.5 million subscribers in 2019.

Of those 5.5 million 2019 subscribers, 3.4 million of them were customers of AT&T (or their subsidiary DirecTV).

Comcast lost 733,000 customers in 2019. In an effort to accelerate the trend, Comcast raised its prices 3.3% rise in 2019. Comcast plans to raise prices by 3.6% in 2020. Comcast is confident that their strategy to destroy their own business will be successful.

Totally coincidentally, streaming services are also getting more expensive:

Quote: Wall Street Journal
Sling TV’s basic monthly rate has climbed to $30 today from $20 in late 2015. Online TV from AT&T started at $35 a month when it launched in 2016. Its equivalent now costs $65 a month.

Hulu illustrated the widening gulf between traditional channels and newer streaming options by twice raising the price of its live TV service last year. The cost of Hulu + Live TV is now $54.99, $15 higher than its rate at the start of 2019.
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