US TV Households Cutting Cable cord

[marco916]

Interesting read this morning on Yahoo, I've done the same from my local cable provider, just using OTA and FTA and PlayOn and Dish Network for the Mrs. with no contract.

Nearly 800,000 U.S. TV households 'cut the cord,' report says - Yahoo! News

 

[toucan-man]

Interesting read this morning on Yahoo, I've done the same from my local cable provider, just using OTA and FTA and PlayOn and Dish Network for the Mrs. with no contract.

Nearly 800,000 U.S. TV households 'cut the cord,' report says - Yahoo! News

It always seems to come down to ESPN. Quite a solid looking business they've built. Ala carte, please?

 

[marco916]

It always seems to come down to ESPN. Quite a solid looking business they've built. Ala carte, please?

You know, not to promote PlayOn or anything, but I'm actually able to view allot of ESPN Web content, recorded content "non live of course" but ESPN news, features, sports talk shows of the type" Keeps me current with whats what on sports news.

 

[guapoharry]

I don't think the cable cos will get the point.

Instead, they will count on having their franchise (monopoly) and raise prices for the remaining customers. At most, they will change their marketing to try and trap customers with gimmicks like introductory rates.

Also, they might pound on content providers to iimprove ratings. What this will result in is changes to channels like what happened to MTV, TechTV(G4), Headline News and Nick. Discovery will have shark week for a month. The logo on Military Channel will get even larger and the title of the program (both always present while the program is playing) will flash and change color. Then there will also be more infomercial channels.

Time will tell.

 

[marco916]

I don't think the cable cos will get the point.

Instead, they will count on having their franchise (monopoly) and raise prices for the remaining customers. At most, they will change their marketing to try and trap customers with gimmicks like introductory rates.

Also, they might pound on content providers to iimprove ratings. What this will result in is changes to channels like what happened to MTV, G4, Headline News and Nick. Discovery will have shark week for a month. The logo on Military Channel will get even larger and the title of the program (both always present while the program is playing) will flash and change color. Then there will also be more infomercial channels.

Time will tell.

I've noticed this already at my local computer store "Fry's Electronics" here on the west coast, as you enter the store, they have the Comcast guys on one side and the DIRECTV guys on the other side standing around like used car sales men trying to sell you the bundle rates to lock you in for a year or two. There also doing this at Walmart and Best Buy, but Walmart hasn't let them inside the store yet, just outside out front. When you tell them your using FTA or OTA, they look at you like "what’s that"

 

[Blindowl1234]

Just wait until they all get their greedy hands on the internet Tv business. Your computer may well become your cable box of the future. Either way you'll still pay an ever increasing cost....long live OTA and FTA I say.....Blind

 

[Cadsulfide]

I've had a FTA / OTA setup for 4 years now, I choose what channels/ sats I want. Spent a grand total of about $600 on it. Basic cable here runs $45/mo DN and DTV are about $40/mo.
$40 x 48 months = $1920. I'm ~$1300 better off. WE all vote with our checkbooks.

 

[drboyddrboyd]

I showed the Sarge that story like, "Here's why I'm doing all this..." If this whole FTA/OTA/Netflix thing works out half as well as I think, we'll drop Mister Cable and save some needed bucks.

 

[drboyddrboyd]

<snip> When you tell them your using FTA or OTA, they look at you like "what’s that"

Really. I know one guy who let's just say "used to wear an eye patch and have a parrot on his shoulder," but outside of that it's pretty much like FTA=WTF.

If it weren't for you all, I'd never try it! So...

THANKS!!!

 

[marco916]

Really. I know one guy who let's just say "used to wear an eye patch and have a parrot on his shoulder," but outside of that it's pretty much like FTA=WTF.

If it weren't for you all, I'd never try it! So...

THANKS!!!

Yea, I think I've seen this guy before in my local stores. they all have the same parrot.

 

[Dishman Dan]

Just wait until they all get their greedy hands on the internet Tv business. Your computer may well become your cable box of the future. ...

Just great. I cannot wait for this episode.

I can see it now...

Tune in tomorrow... when two super greedy villians, Charlie (Who can really "dish" it out!) and his nerdy sidekick Bill Gates (Disguised as a mild mannered window installer), team up to take over ConCast and control the world!!!

 

[freezy]

I gotta have my first run Deadliest Catch and Dirty Jobs or I would go without. Streaming netflix is great but the movies are way behind DVD release.

 

[FaT Air]

Remember when "customer Loyalty" meant tht ya got a discount?
Cable, D*network, DTV, have taken it to mean turn up the sub$$.
I just got another turn on the cable screw. ###$$$ ouch.
I figure it out then, for the little cable programming I watch, it's $4.16 per hour. (varies seasonally)

 

[JohninSD]

I made the switch to OTA/FTA several months ago after 2 years with DTV which I had mainly for the Tour de France on Vs. When they dropped Vs. I no longer needed their service. I've recently added Netflix for $8.99 a month and amongst the 3 ways I have of watching TV I can easily waste all kinds of time. Before I signed up for DTV I had rabbit ears only and would buy DVD's of things that interested me like Penn and Teller's B%^&SH*T series. Now I get that stuff from Netflix. If I find a series I like I'll buy the DVD's anyway so I don't feel obliged to watch the whole series in a hurry before sending it back to Netflix. As I was paying about $70/month before and now am paying $9/month I figure I have $61 to buy DVD's if I want to - but I never come anywhere spending that much on DVD's in a month.

As far as Netflix being a few months behind I figure so what? It's all new until you see it. Also I really don't care anything about sports other than the occasional bike race and Universal Sports shows those sometimes OTA for free. Since I don't gamble it doesn't matter to me who wins football, baseball, hockey etc.

 

[rdehaven]

Hello to a fellow San Diegan,

OTA is a real pain in neck of the woods. I haven't been able to cut the cord yet. But I do use the internet to watch some shows that I missed (or those that had the last few minutes cut-off).

Rick

I made the switch to OTA/FTA several months ago...

 

[JerryVT]

I live in the shadow of a mountain so I have to get all my signals from the south. That being said my TV comes from Albany, NY roughly 110 miles away. Get a big enough antenna, rotor, and booster, and you can go along way OTA with a clear line of site.

Fortunately for my 90cm dish, I have a clear southern view from 43 - 125