Cutting the TV Cable

[vibroman]

How much does that cost after adding all the streaming services? And will we still be able to get the Missus BB morning girl talk shows on NBC? I just spent nearly a month fighting with Paramount to get their premium service that we paid for, to remove the adverts from Yellowstone and others, but gave up and cancelled them altogether, when they told me the only way to make it work was to create a new email address! That was a bridge too far after hours and hours on hold. With 3 TV's, internet, WiFi and regional sports package we are at $210, then $220 a month when we added Paramount Plus, which never worked.

I guess the morning talks shows would be over the air here if we were interested. We're pretty low key...Netflix, amazon prime, Apple TV. If it aint on those (and much of the time it aint) then we dont need it. I have f1 TV. Did have sling for the SEC network during football season but I think ESPN pulled it so will have to find something else in the fall. We had Disney to binge watch the superhero movies for a couple of months but cancelled that. Occasional trials come through and we sign up for those and then immediately cancel. If it has commercials I won't watch it period..no patience anymore.

 

[sunseeker]

I really don’t get involved in shorting stocks, and don’t pay attention to that market, but I wonder what sort of net income pressure there is going to be to the cable cos when more of the market ditches the tv package. I cut the cord 5 years, pissed I didn’t do it sooner. They may think they can just increase prices on the internet service. Guess again, I just got T Mobile home internet for $25 a month. Not completely stable, but overall just fine only has dropped a few times and it’s way faster than what Charter gave me for nearly 3x the cost.

 

[billy backstay]

......... If it has commercials I won't watch it period..no patience anymore.

Yeah, the DVR did that for me!! Absolutely will NOT watch adverts!

 

[PurpleOnion]

From ~2002 to ~2013, I went without cable. At the time, Time Warner was still forced to open their system to alternate providers, so had EarthLink over the same line that I used have Time Warner internet but for $42 vs the $90-100 that time Warner asked for after I dropped tv service. The only things I really missed were sports, but I got over it and still rarely watch games. Early on DVD rentals and purchases provided movies when desired. Later, Netflix met that need first physically then via streaming.
Those options have only improved over the last 5+ years and the options for sports have greatly improved. In the past, they were locked up in relatively long term exclusive contracts with the various leagues.
Now with a kid and a mother in law, TV has invaded the home and the MIL's viewing habits and inexperience with apps has me a little trapped. I need to check again to see i can get her the content she watches via streaming options.
I'm somewhat of a social misfit in that I don't spend hours a day consuming shows and can't speak about them. At most I watch a movie in a given week and I'm somewhat fascinated and perplexed about the time others seem to have for consumption of content.
The point of the drivel above is you can cut the cord and be quite happy. You can likely get all the content you want via streaming services. However, I would recommend adding them slowly. You may just find your life is more peaceful and enriching without the bombardment of noise and visual images.

Also, if you're cord cutting doesn't work out, you'll find that you can reconnect and get the new customer discounts again. Verizon FiOS had a 2 month waiting period before you could claim new customer status and discounts.

As for internet pricing and limited options, talk to your politicians (from both parties). They're the ones that helped eliminate competition and work to keep it suppressed.

 

[Chris in Santa Cruz CA]

Peacock took a step backward for me this year and is only showing some selected FIS World Cup Skiing events vs last year which was every one, many without american blabermouths.

 

[Chris in Santa Cruz CA]

I will say its pretty impressive how many channels I get over the air. Looking for a programmable DVR/Tuner for over the air channels.

 

[hard aground]

Hey Bull, have you looked at the DAZN app? They do english soccer and some other sports. Don't know if they only work in Canada, but you could use a VPN too. $25 CDN/mth

 

[sunseeker]

Peacock took a step backward for me this year and is only showing some selected FIS World Cup Skiing events vs last year which was every one, many without american blabermouths.

I have no idea what happened with the tv deal, but it was a bad move overall. Guys I’ve skied with for more decades than we want to admit have close ties to the team. All of us got frustrated and now just get the results, videos usually available later in the day of Michaela. Eventually every sport will have their own channel. I’d rather give the money to the ski industry than an aggregator.

 

[boomer]

We don't watch much TV other then local stations and PBS. When I retired in 2012, we streamed a few shows and some of the better movies I missed over the years in the evenings watching on the big screen via HDMI from a computer - but after a few years saw everything I wanted to see from old movies and series. America's Cup I could watch online till the last America's Cup, when I started using Streaming services and Urban VPN connecting through Canada. I do watch American football, and started using foreign streaming services the same year I started streaming the America's Cup, as most all the games were available. My son bought us a ROKU stick several years ago, tried it for a short time, but haven't since. Started taking advantage of Amazon Prime last year and watched a few of their better series and some movies. If a movie is produced and worth watching, we pay either on Prime or Youtube and watch on the big screen via HDMI cable from a computer.

 

[Chris in Santa Cruz CA]

I have no idea what happened with the tv deal, but it was a bad move overall. Guys I’ve skied with for more decades than we want to admit have close ties to the team. All of us got frustrated and now just get the results, videos usually available later in the day of Michaela. Eventually every sport will have their own channel. I’d rather give the money to the ski industry than an aggregator.

Complete idiocy. All they have to do is stream the local feed without Steve and pino. How the fuck hard is that! Like f1tv Fis should just have a channel. Just add subtitles and be done. I really enjoyed the raw local feeds last year with just the venue public address audio in the background. NBC pioneered that with olympic coverage. I remember being enthralled with a Winter Olympics 4 man bobsled medal round with every sled and just the live audio at the venue. It was like being there. I think they misjudge their audience and work too hard to produce a dramatic show versus just delivering the sporting event.

 

[Chris in Santa Cruz CA]

From ~2002 to ~2013, I went without cable. At the time, Time Warner was still forced to open their system to alternate providers, so had EarthLink over the same line that I used have Time Warner internet but for $42 vs the $90-100 that time Warner asked for after I dropped tv service. The only things I really missed were sports, but I got over it and still rarely watch games. Early on DVD rentals and purchases provided movies when desired. Later, Netflix met that need first physically then via streaming.
Those options have only improved over the last 5+ years and the options for sports have greatly improved. In the past, they were locked up in relatively long term exclusive contracts with the various leagues.
Now with a kid and a mother in law, TV has invaded the home and the MIL's viewing habits and inexperience with apps has me a little trapped. I need to check again to see i can get her the content she watches via streaming options.
I'm somewhat of a social misfit in that I don't spend hours a day consuming shows and can't speak about them. At most I watch a movie in a given week and I'm somewhat fascinated and perplexed about the time others seem to have for consumption of content.
The point of the drivel above is you can cut the cord and be quite happy. You can likely get all the content you want via streaming services. However, I would recommend adding them slowly. You may just find your life is more peaceful and enriching without the bombardment of noise and visual images.

Also, if you're cord cutting doesn't work out, you'll find that you can reconnect and get the new customer discounts again. Verizon FiOS had a 2 month waiting period before you could claim new customer status and discounts.

As for internet pricing and limited options, talk to your politicians (from both parties). They're the ones that helped eliminate competition and work to keep it suppressed.

Man cave, build one.

 

[BayRacer]

Some predictions on the future of media distribution from a few industry players:

What will TV look like in three years? These industry insiders share their predictions

CNBC asked media insiders, including Barry Diller, Bela Bajaria and Bill Simmons, for their predictions about the future of TV.

www.cnbc.com

 

[Grrr...]

I will say its pretty impressive how many channels I get over the air. Looking for a programmable DVR/Tuner for over the air channels.

This. My location in michigan has me between 3 large cities. I think i get. 30 or more over the air stations.

 

[Bull City]

Thanks to all who responded. I have sharpened my cable cutters.

I confirmed with Peacock that I do not need a cable TV provider to get their stuff. For all the other stuff we watch, Sling TV will probably work. For example, if there was an EPL game on USA Network, Peacock would not carry it, but Sling includes USA. In fact, Sling includes the few cable channels we watch for $90 less per month and has DVR. Most of what we watch is on PBS, and we qualify for their Passport.

If I had figured all of this out a few years ago, think how wealthy I would be now. Could have bought that Hinckley.

 

[Chris in Santa Cruz CA]

Thanks to all who responded. I have sharpened my cable cutters.

I confirmed with Peacock that I do not need a cable TV provider to get their stuff. For all the other stuff we watch, Sling TV will probably work. For example, if there was an EPL game on USA Network, Peacock would not carry it, but Sling includes USA. In fact, Sling includes the few cable channels we watch for $90 less per month and has DVR. Most of what we watch is on PBS, and we qualify for their Passport.

If I had figured all of this out a few years ago, think how wealthy I would be now. Could have bought that Hinckley.

I forgot about sling

 

[Bull City]

I forgot about sling

I had never heard of it until my neighbor mentioned it. I think we're also going to get an indoor antenna. Kind of ironic that about a year ago, I took down our 40+ year old roof antenna that hasn't been connected in ages.

 

[Point Break]

I had never heard of it until my neighbor mentioned it. I think we're also going to get an indoor antenna. Kind of ironic that about a year ago, I took down our 40+ year old roof antenna that hasn't been connected in ages.

My buddy has an antenna that is in his attic. Im told it depends on how close to the transmitters you are because the roofing attenuates the signals but he gets OTA HD from the major networks just fine. He combines that with one of the streaming services and he is happy. Since I'm in the LA market for TV the drivel they call news programming isn't worth warm spit so I could care less about the local channels.......and who the hell cares which bachelorette got in the spa with the latest guy or which housewives of wherever are banging which husbands or how the coconut throwing challenge went to see who gets voted off the island. Meh

 

[Snaggletooth]

programming isn't worth warm spit

Muche of that poeste soundes licke Ed Lada rotte it, butte thisse in particulate is verrey eladaian.

 

[Bump-n-Grind]

almost everything I watch is on my roku sticks.. via apps
Motortrend, HBOmax(month at a time), Prime, Whichever one I need to watch yellowstone.. it changes
pay for the device once.. I have several.. load the channels I watch and delete the rest.. can take one with me when I travel and plug into hotel tvs...
in the RV or the trawler, if I have a strong enough cell signal I can use my tablet as a hotspot setup with same SSID as home router so it's really plug and play
I think total monthly nut for the apps on roku is about 60$....

Previous comment about youtube rabbit holes is spot on.. I'm fascinated with all the car shows and watch Leo's Tally Ho rebuild on a big screen.

if anyone is looking for a good binge, try Bad Obsession Motor Sports, Project Binky on youtube

 

[hard aground]

if anyone is looking for a good binge, try Bad Obsession Motor Sports, Project Binky on youtube

Would be nice if they actually got back to work on that thing and put out some videos. I remember during the beginning stages of that wondering who would be finished first Mad's Athena refit or them. Pretty sure now that Leo will actually be done first.