Viewers pull plug on US cable television

ft ^ | November 17 2010

[george76]

The number of people subscribing to US cable television services has suffered its biggest decline in 30 years as younger, tech-savvy viewers lead an exodus to web-based operations, such as Hulu and Netflix...cable operators were hard hit, with subscriber numbers falling by 741,000 – the largest decline in 30 years.

The figures suggest that “cord-cutting” – one of the pay-television industry’s biggest fears – is becoming a reality as viewers drift to web-based platforms.

[Sacajaweau]

Cable was a cheap monopoly. Now it's too expensive...

Food vs cable...guess what loses...

[Spirochete]

If I could pick & choose programming, I might consider re-subscribing. As it stands now, we’re forced to get programming bundles, which includes a lot of objectionable crap. Bundled programming keeps liberal networks alive.

[jeffc]

I remember when we finally got cable in my neighborhood where I grew up. It took the City Council over a year to "negotiate" a contract with the cable provider. Then when we finally got service, it was horrible. Very expensive, few channels, took forever to get hooked up, and too bad if you needed service after install. But the city profited quite handsomely from it all.

I also remember there were very commercials. Compared to the number of commercials we have to pay to watch today, I wonder how they made any money back in the 80's.

[McLynnan]

I’m with you. I’d support a cafeteria plan. I’m not a big tv watcher so only have expanded cable. I get around 80 channels and probably only use a dozen of them. I’ve been thinking about cutting the cable for several months.

[iowamark]

The total number of subscribers to TV services provided by cable, satellite and telco operators fell by 119,000 in the third quarter, compared with a gain of 346,000 in the third quarter of 2009, according to SNL Kagan, a research company.

Although television services offered by telecoms and satellite providers added subscribers over the period, cable operators were hard hit, with subscriber numbers falling by 741,000 – the largest decline in 30 years...

Online TV services are stepping up their efforts to reach new viewers and become profitable: Hulu, which is owned by News Corp, Walt Disney and NBC Universal, has slashed the cost of its online subscription service by 20 per cent to $7.99 per month and offers a vast array of film and TV programming...

[nascarnation]

I think this is the Obama economy more than anything else.

I get internet, phone, and 200+ chan tv and DVR for 110/month.

To me it’s not a bad deal.

[Vor Lady]

Interesting ping.

[Frantzie]

Cable or Sat TV is 24x7 liberal propaganda and brainwashing including the endless “dumb white man” commercials.

I cancelled TV a year ago. TV is garbage and it supports left/Obam/liberals and Islam. TV is for idiots with dribble cups.

[max americana]

My neighbor does not have cable.

He just downloads his TV shows via BT and if he wants to watch sports like NFL games, he just connects his pc to his big screen TV, connects to the web and presto.

[MinuteGal]

Cable is going to have to cut prices and offer better viewer selection in its package deals. The monthly fee is exorbitant and keeps going up.

The bad part about folks doing the cable-cutting is that they'll be dependent on the regular network alphabet poops for their news.....and they won't be getting the only (so-called) fair and balanced channel.

Leni

[McLynnan]

I’m kind of electronically challenged, but was thinking about getting a Roku box to stream Netflix. What’s a BT? Can your neighbor get cable news? If I could got Fox News without cable I’d cut the cord.

[Frantzie]

“...one of the pay-television industry’s biggest fears...”

Liberals and the elites plus Islam’s biggest fear is the idiots will turn off the brainwashing. TV is for idiots. All of it supports Obama and Prince Al Waleed Bin Talil’s Fox News is only marginally better.

[McLynnan]

Just guessing — you don’t like tv do you?

[LuvFreeRepublic]

Interesting. Bump for later reading. I do hope FReepers will add to info relative to their experiences with something other than cable. Cable is too expensive.

[AlexW]

“I get internet, phone, and 200+ chan tv and DVR for 110/month.
To me it’s not a bad deal.”

$110 bucks??...good grief!
The last cable I had (in Slovakia) was used only for high speed internet @ $20 per month.
The TV part of the cable was free from the apartment building, but I never bothered to get a TV.

[JennysCool]

Ping!

[Spirochete]

The bad part about folks doing the cable-cutting is that they'll be dependent on the regular network alphabet poops for their news.....and they won't be getting the only (so-called) fair and balanced channel.

I pulled the plug last year and went cold turkey on the tube - not even rabbit ears, just AM radio and Free Republic. I don't miss it at all.

I got a USB TV tuner to use with the laptop for hurricane coverage, but since the switch to digital broadcasts, terrestrial TV reception is a sick joke.

[Hulka]

Add the reason for dropping cable the following: I have cable in my temp apartment in CA. Have 200 channels. . . .about a third are home shopping channels, a third are spanish language channels, and about a dozen or so are spanish language home shopping networks.

All because I wanted Internet and FNC, and the only way to get that combination was to “buy” hundreds of channels I don't watch and can't understand.

I will drop cable the first chance I get.

[listenhillary]

I wonder when Fox News will figure out that people would subscribe to a web based streaming fox news channel?