Posted on 11/17/2010 9:27:44 AM PST by Slyscribe
U.S. cable TV operators lost 741,000 basic video customers in the third quarter, research firm SNL Kagan reported Wednesday. That’s the single largest quarterly drop for cable since SNL Kagan began compiling data for the segment in 1980.
Cable’s share of the multichannel pay television market continues to slide, dipping to 60.3% from 62.9% in Q3 2009.
Gains in telecom and satellite TV services were not enough to offset the loss of cable subscribers, so the overall multichannel pay-TV market lost 119,000 customers last quarter.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.investors.com ...
I live in the hills [Hollywood] and get no reception since Mount Wilson is blocked. So I have to pay $65.00 for basic cable.
It’s not worth it as I rarely watch TV.
When I can find another way to watch, I’m dumping my cable.
You would think the laws of supply and demand would kick in at some point but they don’t seem to.
We have none of it. Netflix is all you really need.
Cut the cable and get rid of TV. It will improve your family life and help defund the left.
I wonder if there is going to be a move to shutdown/limit Netflix/HULU, etc. I can see the cable companies working with TV/Film/Network production companies to limit what can be broadcast over the internet. Also, eventually seeing Netflix pricing go up dramatically from the current low rates...
Not fast enough to suit me. We cut the smut cable years ago.
They’ve got to unbundle the garbage. Customers don’t want 200 channels of drek just to get the 4-5 shows they like.
Times are tough, everyone is cutting back on expenses. The high cost of cable TV service can buy more needed groceries. We’re all cutting back, we even disconnected the home phone and went over to Magic Jack, its great, no annoying telemarketing. You have to realize that the computer also acts as a TV. There are many webb sites that provide movies and missed TV shows.
I cut cable several years ago...it is heaven not continually having cable junk pumped into you. It is such a blessing....
How do you watch TV? Or do you just not watch at all.
I know during 9/11, the TV coverage was essential to me.
I cut them off 10 years ago.
Same here. Haven’t missed anything either.
I get about 40 free channels the old fashion way with an antenna. Told DirectTV to go away years ago. Who wants to pay for all those commercials?
BTW I am 50 and 80 miles from most of the big city tv transmitters.
FR and other web based sources.
What antenna and mounting height do you use?
I watch lots of Fox news on youtube for free. Sometimes you just have to wait 24 hrs, but if it’s any good at all, it’s there.
Their website videos are free too.
Can I ask you a question what kind of Plasma TV did you get? Our TV is acting up (it’s a 1984 so I can’t complain but still I love that TV and wouldn’t think of replacing it otherwise lol). I was looking at the Black Friday Ads and reading reviews and I had come to the conclusion a Plasma is what we should buy and I noted Panasonic had very good ratings so I was thinking of one of those.
” Who wants to pay for all those commercials? “
I’m old enough to remember back in the 70’s when the first experimental Cable TV systems were coming on line - back then, the big selling-point was that, since you paid for programming up-front, there would be no commercials....
We’ve come a long way, Baby..... ;)
Also, something the cable company doesn't advertise, your over-the-air reception will likely be better than what comes over the cable. With OTA, you're getting it straight from the source, but the cable company will receive it and recode it to their standards with loss of quality along the way.
I would love a menu of channels to choose from, instead of a comprehensive lineup. The lineup is a way of displaying the logos of all the available channels, and making you feel like you are getting a good deal. But I will never watch BET or MTV. I also don’t like CNN or any of its derivatives, and I don’t like MSNBC or CNBC. I won’t watch Bloomberg, because it makes money for people named Bloomberg. But the reason they won’t unbundle the choices is that CNN and many others would simply go out of business due to lack of income.
I ditched direct tv last month because I’m sick of paying for a bunch of crappy channels that I never watch and not getting the channels I want unless I pay for all that crap first. I have said many times before that the individual who offers consumers a pay per channel option as opposed to the ususal pay for the bundle of crap that you never watch and don’t want will put the entire industry out of business. I’m hoping the internet puts them all out of business first.
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