Posted on 12/13/2013 9:24:31 PM PST by publius321
A thought provoking Marketwatch article regarding the growing trend of cable "cord cutting" demonstrates the need for a shakeup in the cable television industry. The industry is being run into the ground by old guard gatekeepers. It is becoming a case study of what not to do when faced with competition from visionaries with new technologies and business models.
Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts is best thing that ever happened to Netflix shareholders. Listen Comcast shareholders: Despite CMCSA sitting near 52 week highs, that is abysmal compared to what the market cap SHOULD be and WOULD be if the company was run for the benefit of consumers AND shareholders alike.
NETFLIX is an example of a media company run according to the desires of its customers and owners.
$NFLX's Hastings exposes the utter incompetence and arrogance of $CMCSA management. Netflix owes its great success and continued existence to Roberts and Comcast. If Comcast was run by management who ran the company according to the dictates of the market, Netflix would be out of business or at best a minor niche player offering redundant services.
Comcast is an example of a MONOPOLY that is going to be taken down -without- antitrust suits waged by the Justice Department because the monopoly is run by leadership that is in effect holding shareholder assets HOSTAGE.
Roberts epitomizes the "old guard", a gatekeeper whose agenda is to control what you watch. OUST Roberts & you will double the market cap.
CEO Roberts FORCES customers to pay for trashy channels like M-TV 1,2,3,4... VH-1 Bravo, Al Jazeera and; other raw sewage but REFUSES to give us channels that millions want and repeatedly request like The Blaze TV as one example.
Many of the trash networks like the aforementioned wouldn't even EXIST if Comcast didn't FORCE them on subscribers in their basic package because they wouldn't garner the requisite funds to produce their poison if the majority were not forced to pay for their network ala Roberts.
Netflix knows what you want and gives you WHAT YOU WANT. What you want (by evidence of incessant "chord cutting" is ala carte. Instead of "ala carte", Comcast delivers "ala Roberts". That's the key to their downward spiral.
In my past writings, some have written to me saying, "if you don't like Comcast, you don't have to subscribe… nobody is holding a gun to your head." I wish it was that simple. I am working on getting my master homeowner's association, representing hundreds of homes to drop the contract they negotiated with Comcast. As it stands now, I have no choice but to pay for the Comcast trash because it is incorporated into my dues.
I have listened to customers complain about this juggernaut for decades. Boycotts do not work because as Roberts and CMCSA management has demonstrated; they have no compunction about running the company's assets into the ground as if they were their own to abuse as they please. The only way to quell the ongoing sabotage and exodus of customers to Netflix - is for shareholders to start making demands. It is time for the SHAREHOLDERS to start standing up for their investment. Shake up the Board of Directors, remove management - or divest.
Comcast employing compulsive liars like Al Sharpton and Martin Bashir (who was relectantly let go by resignation) at MSNBC demonstrates CEO Robert's disregard for $CMCSA shareholders and THEIR company's assets.
As I recently tweeted directly to Obama’s golfing partner and financial "bundler" Mr. Roberts, “if you want to use Comcast assets to advance your PERSONAL agenda over shareholders, take the damned company private.”
Unless shareholders go on the offense, expect to continually read articles about cord cutting and continue to expect subscribership to migrate to alternative services like Netflix.
The guy really doesn’t say anything.
I’d be more than happy to sign up for cable if I got to pick my 30 channels for 1/10 of the current monthly cost.
Worked for Comcast as a Business Account Executive (Salesman) for 6 months. Great product but the worst customer service imaginable. I walked away after a Comcast install went horribly wrong and left a customer with 15 phone lines without service for 3 days. I just couldn’t work for a company where customers call you in tears because your company has cost them 10’s of thousands of dollars....
When people have to pay extra for health insurance starting next year, we will see a lot of the discretionary income get re-routed to health insurance, and away from cable.
Yeah, except that Comcast is run by liberals who have for years controlled what we can view and continue to attempt this to the financial detriment of their shareholders and that boycotts do not work, however shaking up the Board and ousting management since these are publicly traded companies would be viable since these executives are abusing the assets over which they were entrusted with fiduciary responsibilities...
On second thought, perhaps you are just a Cretin who doesn’t understand such matters and clicked on the wrong link.
I’ve disconnected both of my boxes (which didn’t work) and will take them back to the local Comcast office next week to say bye-bye.
My cable hasn’t worked properly in over a year and I can happily say that I don’t miss it.
I thought he said quite a bit. I have called comcast to voice my revulsion about Bashir’s remarks about Palin and have called a couple of advertisers who have spots on Sharpton’s show. Don’t know whether it does any good or not but it made me feel better. I may buy a couple of shares of comcast just to stir up some trouble.
The shareholders own the company not the other way around and maybe its time that shareholders get serious about cos. doing things they do not agree with. GE is another example.
Merry Christmas!
I got tired of Comast BS and when I caught them lying about why you need a box (It wasn’t because the content was digital it was because they were scambling the signal on purpose so you need a box) I switched to Direct TV. When I called to cancel service I never forget the Customer ‘NO’ Service Agent saying: “You will be back.” I made up my mind right there come hell or high water Comcast was NEVER going to get another penny from me EVER!
What happens when companies decide to make their channels available online for ROKU and other things?
There is so much classic TV and foreign programs with subtitles online that it has become real competition.
“I’ve disconnected both of my boxes (which didn’t work) and will take them back to the local Comcast office next week to say bye-bye.
My cable hasn’t worked properly in over a year and I can happily say that I don’t miss it.”
That’s typical these days. As I wrote in the blog, I currently subscribe only because my homeowner’s association bundles it in with my dues.
My service sucks too. It often gets pixelated and I often watch the news and suddenly it gets stuck so that the anchor appears to have a severe stuttering problem. It is like a bad DVD covered with corn syrup.
Thank you very much and Merry Christmas to you as well Foundahardheadedwoman!
On Novemer 26 I returned my Comcast internet router and cancelled my phone so all I have left is basic cable tv. I called them today and asked them hom much I owed and they told me a 2 month figure. I told them I returned equipment and was told I would get a prorated rate, which I should call to find out the $ amount of. First they said I never returned the equipment then they gave me a $ # I knew was wrong, then another I knew could not be correct. I asked for help with a password so I could pay the bill online and after that got a completely different # as to what I owed them!
If I knew a way to get Fox News and occasional movies on demand I would drop Comcast forever. Any ideas?
I used to work for Comcast Business class and Residential. Small world... I was a support tech though before they outsourced everything to 3rd party contractors.
Phone installs are always tricky because if the install is cancelled improperly the lines will snap back to the original provider and then you’re at their mercy. Working phone LNP was ridiculous with all of the porting rules we worked around.
You really are....born to conserve. You didn’t say anything either, so, why post? Wait....don’t answer that. Conserve it infinitum.
Well Comcast removed their analogue frequencies so yeah, you would need a box now days.
You’ve got a signal issue due to wiring either in house or outside. I would have them come fix it.
Americans are suckers....40 years ago they were told to give up their FREE TV so they could get “Pay TV, commercial free, for a small fee”
This was the biggest fraud in American history..
The super rich got all the suckers to pay to watch commercials which they already got paid for...And it’s non-stop commercials for big bucks!
lol...
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