Broadcasters fear falling revenues as viewers switch to on-demand TV

That is why college and pro sports are getting huge dollars. That is "in the moment" tv watching. A person can watch Breaking Bad, or whatever show, when it is convenient. But sports isn't as fun to watch if you know the outcome. So you need to watch when it is happening. It often has drama and suspense. So that is why advertisers are willing to pay top dollar to get on sports broadcasts.

And that is why I am dropping $90 a month for Directv, $10 to $15 of which goes to ESPN. When ESPN figures out they can get folks like me to pay them $30 a month, I'm in, because I save $60 a month for giving up the other stuff I don't watch. And ESPN makes an extra $20 a month, that will be nice for everybody. Except Directv.

So did the change in modem improve your Internet service with comcast?

Well, it did, though we noticed a bigger difference, of course, when we upped the mbps. Hooked up the new modem on Friday night, and cut the cable Saturday afternoon. Also, we didn't get a top of the line modem either, although the one we have got excellent reviews on Amazon and on Walmart websites. At approximately $70.00 for the unit, it will pay for itself in 7 months.

$/x # of viewers

Cable/satellite providers might have the software capability to actually count how many watch any given program at any given time.

The Internet does, because 'content' is downloaded to the computer and then 'interpreted' into a video file.

Hulu or Netflix*, for example, can probably count how many watch each of their programs/movies. In the case of Hulu and Crackle and similar commercial-inserted providers, they can count the number of views/downloads even the commercials get.

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*Netflix has my entire viewing history under 'my account'. I suspect that most content providers have similar databases.

So did the change in modem improve your Internet service with comcast?

I have Cox Cable. Last year, they upped their internet speed from about 12 to 20 Mbps. I only got a partial bump in speed. I had an old DOCIS 2.0 modem. I finally bit the bullet and bought a DOCIS 3.0 (recommended) with router from the cable company. It was around $130.

Recently, Cox upped their speed again to, supposedly, 50 Mbps. I get around 35 on my direct-wired desktop and 45 to 55 Mbps on the wireless laptop.

My Netflix movies (just upgraded to ROKU 3 box) now start in about 3 seconds. Seldom do I have any buffering (unless Cox is working on the lines or equipment). During sports season, I sometimes had 2-3 different live sports feeds and a movie feed and all ran smoothly.

I also bought the Ooma VOIP box last year. I don't make many calls. The old phone company landline was costing around $300/year when I dropped it several years ago. My pre-paid cellular is okay, but awkward for some calls involving queued-for-customer service, etc. I bought the Ooma box but not the added features. I now only pay $3.83 per month for the FCC/e911 tax/service. I can call anywhere in the US and Canada (IIRC).

Depending on your level of internet service, it might be worth upgrading your modem. I have the mid-level service with my cable company.

Since the telephone service is disconnected outside my apartment, I plugged Ooma into the phone jack. Now, all 3 jacks in my apartment are 'live' if I plug in a phone, at no additional charge. [Not sure how that might work with multiple lines, however.]

RE: Fox News, free.

Tons of shows, and movies, no commercials and free! Scroll down...

Hey thanks. Appreciate it much!

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