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Cable subscribers flee, but is Internet to blame? (Dinosaur Media DeathWatchâ„¢)
AP/Houston Chronicle ^ | November 4, 2010 | Peter Svensson

Posted on 11/05/2010 7:13:51 AM PDT by Zakeet

Edited on 11/05/2010 7:16:50 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]

Cable companies have been losing TV subscribers at an ever faster rate in the past few months, and satellite TV isn't picking up the slack.

That could be a sign that Internet TV services such as Netflix and Hulu are finally starting to entice people to cancel cable, though company executives are pointing to the weak economy and housing market for now.


(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cable; liberalism; media; msm
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But ... who's gonna pay the cable newsers their subscriber fees if the cable companies have no subscribers?

1 posted on 11/05/2010 7:13:57 AM PDT by Zakeet
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To: Zakeet

This might brighten the day of the all-TV-is-evil FReeper.


2 posted on 11/05/2010 7:15:57 AM PDT by qwertypie
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To: Zakeet
That could be a sign that Internet TV services such as Netflix and Hulu are finally starting to entice people to cancel cable...

No, I canceled cable because it's nothing but 100 channels of noise. I can detune my radio and get the same amount of intelligent content and satisfaction for free.

3 posted on 11/05/2010 7:16:23 AM PDT by randog (Tap into America!)
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To: Zakeet

Speaking just for myself...

No, the internet is not to blame. The smut is to blame, the internet just makes it easier to find something else to stare at when I sit down.


4 posted on 11/05/2010 7:16:31 AM PDT by 668 - Neighbor of the Beast (Save the liver!)
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To: Zakeet

LOL. This dummy reporter thinks its a mystery why people are cancelling cable? I can’t stop laughing long enough to type.

How about—astronomical prices for duplicate programs and crappy content? How about being charged to “rent” equipment for the privilege of paying those astronomical prices? The list goes on and on.


5 posted on 11/05/2010 7:17:25 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard
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To: qwertypie

LOL!


6 posted on 11/05/2010 7:17:36 AM PDT by RabidBartender
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To: Zakeet

Ripoff prices might explain some of the decline.


7 posted on 11/05/2010 7:17:58 AM PDT by jimt
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To: Zakeet

Heaven forbid they ever consider lowering prices for a service that obviously now has a more competitive market.

All they can do is offer sweetheart deals to new customers for a year or so while their existing customers who pay their bills every month continue to pay the higher rate.

Cable/Sat providers remind me a lot of the mortgage bailout models. Those who are most loyal and reliable get the shaft.


8 posted on 11/05/2010 7:18:27 AM PDT by mmichaels1970
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To: Zakeet

I dropped Mediacom after 20 years for two reasons - one, it became too expensive, and two, I got tired of paying for a slew of channel that I never watched. I either watch TV off-air now or over the internet.


9 posted on 11/05/2010 7:18:48 AM PDT by reagan_fanatic (If the GOP reaches across the aisle, we're gonna chop off their hands.)
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To: Zakeet

Besides, all the good tv has already been done. And 99% of it is on youtube.com! :)


10 posted on 11/05/2010 7:18:52 AM PDT by 668 - Neighbor of the Beast (Save the liver!)
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To: Zakeet

It’s simple: people can’t afford cable. If the choice is buying gasoline or paying a cable bill, most sane folk choose the gasoline.

I love the “bindle” savings scams - they save nothing. In these times, people are tightening the belt as much as they can, starting with cable.

Plus, why pay for crap, which most of TV is anyway?


11 posted on 11/05/2010 7:19:21 AM PDT by GOPsterinMA ("My buns have no seeds." - Cleo McDowell)
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To: Zakeet
1. unemployed people worry about buying food before cable

2. when someone loses their home in foreclosure, they won't be paying the cable bill

3. nearly $100 per month for dozens of channels, the majority of which are garbage is not an enticing value

12 posted on 11/05/2010 7:19:30 AM PDT by paul51 (11 September 2001 - Never forget)
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To: Zakeet

I have been without tv for over a year and I love it! I do have Netflix. I can also pick up free internet where I live...hahahaha!


13 posted on 11/05/2010 7:19:46 AM PDT by Boardwalk
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To: Zakeet

The cable rates keep going up and the service is not all that hot. We have over 200 channels to choose from and there are nights we discover there is nothing we want to watch.

That can be a good thing, but then we are paying for it even if we don’t watch.

Currently our internet access is via the cable company but alternatives are coming so it may not be much longer before we cut the cord ourselves.

One thing that would help the cable companies, change their business model. Allow subscribers to pick and choose which channels they want. I would say there are less than 10 channels I care for out of the 200 available. Even if I had to pay for each I think it would be cheaper (of course there are both practical and legal reasons why they don’t)


14 posted on 11/05/2010 7:20:09 AM PDT by CIB-173RDABN (California does not have a money problem, it has a spending problem.)
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To: qwertypie

I’m not one of those, but I have little sympathy for cable compaines anyway.

They’re old school crony capitalists, enjoying their monopoly position.

Where I live, the service is lousy. And the content? 30% advertising, and the rest is mainly repeats of shows which themselves have very little actual content.

Have you ever watched a show and thought about how little actual footage wasw filmed? They show the same shots over and over; before commerical breaks to try to keep you watching,a nd after to recap in case you weren’t.

I think if you have 20 minutes of usable footage, you can make an hour long show.

And these reality TV shows? Talk about a race to the bottom!


15 posted on 11/05/2010 7:21:42 AM PDT by Pessimist
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To: Zakeet

We should be able to cherry pick only the channels we want to receive.


16 posted on 11/05/2010 7:23:08 AM PDT by 38special (AK, CA, CO, NV, WA ... WTF?)
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To: Zakeet

Last time I looked, it was $50 per month for a no-frills can of crap from the local cable provider. I would not subscribe if they paid me that much to have it on.

Only a perve pays to hear coprolalia.


17 posted on 11/05/2010 7:23:55 AM PDT by 668 - Neighbor of the Beast (Save the liver!)
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To: 668 - Neighbor of the Beast

“Besides, all the good tv has already been done”

Agreed. My wife and I mainly watch Turner Classic Movies anymore. Some of the old stuff is great! Plus no advertisements!


18 posted on 11/05/2010 7:24:07 AM PDT by Pessimist
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To: Zakeet
Cable is such a screwing.
19 posted on 11/05/2010 7:24:58 AM PDT by Jim Noble (It's the tyranny, stupid!)
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To: Zakeet

I’ve always thought cable and satellite prices were too high. For one thing, channels with commercials should be essentially free just as they are over the air.

I am researching the little boxes you can buy to hook to your television to get video content over the internet. My main concern is that picture and sound quality must be compromised because of bandwidth restraints, but maybe I’m wrong.

Also, the companies that produce the various shows charge way too much, perhaps because they pay their talent way too much. I believe that you can have very compelling stories without expensive productions.

Does anyone have a box that they recommend, or any thoughts on TV and movies from the internet?


20 posted on 11/05/2010 7:27:20 AM PDT by frposty (I'm a simpleton)
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