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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCord cutting accelerates with millions more expected to leave pay TV for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon
More bad news for pay-TV providers: There's another sign that cord cutting consumers dropping pay TV for broadband-delivered video is accelerating.
A new forecast from research firm eMarketer suggests that this year 6 million more TV viewers will depart pay TV for internet video services such as Netflix and Hulu.
The number of cord cutters, those who cancel pay TV, is expected to climb 32.8 percent this year to 33 million. Thats higher than the 27.1 million (22 percent growth rate) cord cutters expected for 2018 in eMarketer's forecast last year.
https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/823950002
LisaM
(27,762 posts)I know! Let's not have any shared experiences with any of our fellow citizens!!
"Did you watch XX show last night?"
"No! I'm going to watch it next week! Don't spoil it, or talk about it!"
"Oh, okay. I was trying to have something in common we could talk about, but I guess that will never happen now".
underpants
(182,284 posts)The part that gets me is "You HAVE to watch _____". I'm not the most active guy but I really don't want to watch that much TV.
hunter
(38,264 posts)"Did you see...?"
... before they remember our answer is always "no."
My wife and I don't feel bad about it. We cut the cable many years ago. And the antenna too.
Our television is a movie player, that's all it does. DVDs and Netflix. Nothing else. So far we've never run out of things to watch and there's still plenty else to talk about besides television.
We're all avid readers, and we go to the movies at least once or twice a month, so there's always that, and those things have always been time shifted, not experiences shared at the same time.
The network television era, which had millions of people in a time zone watching the same thing at the same time, was an anomaly in human history.
If I'm looking to have shared experiences with people I have to make them. Watching a television show at the same time as someone else isn't the same thing.
Flaleftist
(3,473 posts)I do believe the cost of cable tv and horrendous customer service are the primary reasons people are cutting the cord. I'm sure cable companies can do something about that if they were so inclined.
LisaM
(27,762 posts)I still stand by the value of everyone watching an event at the same time. Before TV, it was radio, before that, it was public speakers making tours, before that, plays and concerts, it's been going on forever, despite the medium. People having experiences in isolation is very bad for society, IMO.
cstanleytech
(26,087 posts)invaluable for the elderly and disabled who might have a hard time getting out not to mention those in rural areas.
Eyeball_Kid
(7,410 posts)Or theyll fail to compete with the much more flexible streaming services.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)My generation grew up with television, and the Golden Age of Tv is a real thing.
Took tv about 30 years to ruin itself.
There used to be rules about commercials. That sure changed.
They went from at the beginning and at the end of a show, then in the middle of the show was added, then every 20 minutes, etc. Actual content of a hour long show was 45, then 40 minutes.
later that included LOUD blaring commercials, interrupting sometimes a very moving heartfelt show, or important information.
It was as if you were at a wedding, or a funeral, where some huckster jumped in front of the bride and groom and hawked anti-diarrhea pills. Total mood killer.
They killed over the air television, no one remembers them much anymore.
So we had to pay for cable "packages" of select stations that might include 2-3 shows worth watching, unless you liked endless reruns of truncated commercial laden old shows. They even edited out the content of those old shows to cram more commercials into the episodes.
I have no idea how much cable even costs anymore, that last I heard was 65.00 a month for a basic package. With Comcast, when I was in SF for a few years, that seemed to be the basic teaser rate, then Comcast would increase it every couple of months.
( Mr. Dixie had the tv account there)
Any flak Comcast is getting is richly deserved, IMHO.
Sophia4
(3,515 posts)Many people cannot afford both cable and the internet.
We just have the internet and then Netflix.
Also, basic cable includes Fox News, and I don't want that trash in my house. I don't even want the possibility of Fox News in my house.
CozyMystery
(652 posts)msongs
(67,199 posts)to make up for the loss. and most big time broadband providers are also internet providers
BumRushDaShow
(127,330 posts)^^^^
manor321
(3,344 posts)The coming wireless 5G networks will provide faster internet than cable. They'll compete against the wired services.
mythology
(9,527 posts)Flaleftist
(3,473 posts)Several wireless providers competing with cable companies who have a monopoly in most places could be a good thing.
dembotoz
(16,740 posts)The webinar i saw presented it more as a replacement to fiber wireline.
The product they implied would be the thing to sell until 5g shows up was a 4g fixed product that was omg pricey
ATT has never been shy about charging too much
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)Afromania
(2,767 posts)Last edited Tue Jul 24, 2018, 08:34 PM - Edit history (1)
we'll be seeing tier pricing soon enough. I fully expect there will be a "all media" streaming
package that won't be available unless you buy basic tv and phone. Otherwise it'll be something like $189 a month for just internet.. Just enough that you'll look at a $149 bundle of unlimited internet, tv and phone as reasonable.
shanti
(21,672 posts)My bill is around $85 a month. That's with nothing else. It's been basically the same price since I first got internet, in the 90's. It's the only game in town, so I'm screwed. So......I cut the cord about 18 months ago, and now have DirectvNow, which is streaming, and it includes HBO and Showtime, for about $50. Before I cut the cord, I was paying Directv (no premium channels) about $120 a month and it was continually rising, despite being in the mid-range. I'll take that extra $75 a month and pocket it, thankyouverymuch. With my AppleTV and Roku boxes, it works out beautifully.
Cable teevee prices are just not sustainable anymore.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Then cable companies got abusive as more people went to cable. They crafted the Basic tier that basically gives a person nothing but network tv, local access tv and CSPAN for around $70 per month. Then the shoved packages down subcriber's throats, a subscriber could not craft a package that had stuff that they watched, they had to buy a lot of stuff that they didn't want. Then cable went hog wild with the Reality tv craze. Slowly, in order to have decent cable in big cities, a person had to pay $150 per month, regardless of whether a second of tv was watched.
The advantage of the new services is that they allow people to buy what they want to watch. But even if the pipe companies don't ruin that, the new companies will in search of more and more profit. If they haven't already, subscribers will start seeing basic packages that they must buy to play, the price of that package will drift up, regardless of what inflation does, and the stuff that people want to watch will be tiered in a way to limit enjoyment without paying more money. Essentially, the new services will become just as bad as the cable companies.
IronLionZion
(45,269 posts)they want to fight against their customers instead of adapting to meet the demand for a changing consumer preference
Cable providers are a monopoly in many markets
xajj4791
(84 posts)that most big broadband providers are also cable tv providers.
Luckily, we will have this Blue-wave in 2018 and in 2020 will re-neutralize the internet to prevent this.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)DISH, Direct tv, and the only cable around here, Mediacom, all limit GB, or rather, charge more for increased amounts of it. Tier pricing was supposed to be illegal.
Plus they have prevented any real competition in a market area.
ooky
(8,889 posts)No more Net Neutrality, Netflix, Amazon etc. surcharges to start appearing on our internet bills.
exboyfil
(17,857 posts)Then they are going to find complete cord cutting including the internet (at least in my house). I am real close cancelling both with the price increases.
How do you get away with no internet? It's like a telephone, you have to have it.
blugbox
(951 posts)Even if it costs a little extra, it's way cheaper than what we may be paying for internet access from cable companies.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Netflix, Hulu, Amazon start their own 4G and 5G tower programs and go to court over airwaves access. In the end, I see cable companies getting screwed. Another thing that the new services can do is buy up smaller cable companies like Charter or buy up mobile phone companies like Sprint and Metro PCS.
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)Which is streamed via my internet, no satellite dish need.
JCMach1
(27,544 posts)Almost no savings to be had there, plus their app is terrible...
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)It's been updated and gets good reviews.
Clark Howard reviews AT&s DirecTV Now live TV streaming service
$35 a month, and get first 3 months at $10 a month.
JCMach1
(27,544 posts)The interface is counterintuitive, the app crashes frequently, and the DVR cuts off shows at the wrong time. Killed the season finale of Legion for me.
So yeah, cancelled...
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)And you paid more than $35?
JCMach1
(27,544 posts)for me the pricepoint does not work for how much I use.
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)With very basic Comcast cable and internet I now pay $97 a month.
I tried giving up cable and using a "Leaf" over the air antenna but had to reposition it six times an hour.
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)JDC
(10,084 posts)But we like it. And it is a 3rd of my previous DTV Sat monthly.
I also have Hulu $8, Netflix $11 and Amazon $99 p/yr -or- >$10 monthly and prime shipping.
Still all less than that DTV sat monthly alone
LisaM
(27,762 posts)Local stations have immense value in an emergency and I don't like not having it.
shanti
(21,672 posts)Cheap and plugs right into the antenna outlet. Then you'll have both.
LisaM
(27,762 posts)I also live in an apartment where DirectTV is not an option, but even if that weren't the case, their not automatically providing local TV no matter what would be a deal breaker for me.
Antennas don't work everywhere either, we spend some time in a cabin on an island and I did buy an antenna so I could watch a game, and it got zero signals from anywhere except two shopping channels - in Chinese - from Canada. Taking TV off publicly-owned airwaves was something I vehemently disagreed with, but apparently my voice counts for nothing. I called the antenna company and they told me I was SOL, there were no receivable digital signals that I could pick up.
shanti
(21,672 posts)and I'm somewhat satisfied with it, now that it has cloud DVR capabilities. Came in on the ground floor and got their special pricing, which was the Go Big package at $35 a month, HBO for an extra $5. It's risen $5 this month. Everything comes thru my AppleTV box, but I also have a Roku in the bedroom. There were a lot of hiccups during the 18 months that I've had it, but most of the kinks have been ironed out. Also tried the other streaming services, but didn't care for them.
There may be a free trial going on. Worth a try...
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)I HBO with my basic cable and rarely see anything I like.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)to work was a bear. I cancelled and went back to cable. The issue that cable has now is wireless, they can get completely bypassed and suppliers deliver content directly to a customers tv receiver. One thing that wireless must do is control gamers hogging up bandwidth and slowing things down for other customers - I really think that I am starting to see that with my phone, when I previously had no issue.
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)not dish
number one bandwidth hog is streaming video not gaming.
Moostache
(9,895 posts)The single most expensive channel on almost any cable package and one of the main reasons is the exorbitant rights fees paid to leagues like the NFL and MLB and NBA...fuck them all, I am sick and tired of paying a huge monthly bill to support the lifestyles of the rich and overly entitled...why? so another spoiled ass 19 year kid can buy a 3rd Bugatti and 2nd home before buying a legal drink?
American society is sick and has been for a long time. The priorities are warped and the social rewards handed out in terms of money and status disproportionally flow to athletes, models, actors and singers - the very people who (besides bankers) contribute the least to a healthy society. My garbage man is far, far more important to my personal well-being than LeBron James or Tom Brady....yet those 2 combined probably make as much money as ALL garbage collectors in my state for a year or more...
Cable's antiquated pricing model is going the way of the LP/8-track/cassette/CD pre-packaged sale of music or the VHS/DVD/BR pre-packaged sale of films. I can't wait to see what happens when the NFL and NBA are forced to contract teams once their revenue stream - which they have treated like a birth right and unending exponential growth vehicle - dries up and turns to ash in their greedy fucking mouths...
*Full disclosure, I HATE the NFL with a burning passion ever since the league lied to the city and county of St. Louis in representing that there was a chance the Rams would have remained in St. Louis before the truth exposed that the fix to move the team to Los Angeles and enrich the assshole owner further was in from the time he bought the team years earlier. There are two people alive today whose deaths will prompt a celebration from me...one is Trump, the other is Kroenke and I don't care which one dies first...so long as they are confirmed cold and stiff so I can raise a glass to their end.
underpants
(182,284 posts)I read a few years ago that adding new sports networks to cable packages was the main reason for rate increases - I guess on top of cable providers just jacking up rates.
NBC Fox CBS etc all think they can pull viewers away from Sports Center. They can't. We are creatures of habit. If it doesn't happen in ESPN it doesn't happen. Case in point NASCAR - it basically disappeared from the world. Fox Sports severely restricted footage from the World Cup during the first weekend (their accessibility for those of us unplugged was horrific for the whole tournament) and ratings were down over 40%. The lack of a US team could explain that. Ratings did go back up after the first round matches but that also coincided with ESPN being able to show highlights. Just saying.
yonder
(9,631 posts)Keep the citizens in a state of constant assault by the next biggest sporting event, celebrity-studded gala or latest handheld flashy thing and you'll keep that citizen from thinking about the problems that DO exist and questioning how best to solve them.
We'll dance to most any tune our corporate pipers care to call and wearily march in lockstep to our dreary, unsatisfying jobs unaware that our pawnish path has already been determined by unknown plutocratic chess masters.
We've got to figure out a way to jam the game plan. We can start by GOTV this November.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)Also, I too hate NFL, but for very different reasons. Really, *all* the testosterone-drunk sports organizations make me hurl. Too much masculinity-worship, entwined with devaluation of women/femininity.
Even on a personal level (well, the personal is political), the gladiatorial posturing of mega-sports networks and stars really turns me off.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)completely lost interest when the Cardiac Cardinals moved from St. Louis. The move here by the Rams was something that I completely disagreed with happening as the area taxpayers are on the hook for the damn stadium. I really wish the thing had never been built and I for one was happy that the Rams moved away. The sooner they left the better in my mind.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Johnny2X2X
(18,745 posts)They simply do not have a competitive price structure, they need to allow consumers to pick and choose exactly what they want to have in their package. I pay for 230 channels of which I watch about 15.
underpants
(182,284 posts)and I love watching TV.
I've found there are just things that don't need to watch.
MicaelS
(8,747 posts)The providers will jack the price up per channel. Don't forget, that most channels are part of a provider's package, and they will not willingly sell you one channel because they want the ad rates from all those channels.
You are not going to be able to get 15 channels for $15, more like $5 a channel.
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)manor321
(3,344 posts)I cut the cord this month and will save over $70 per month.
KT2000
(20,544 posts)without a sat or cable connection? Is it only clips available on Youtube?
JCMach1
(27,544 posts)KT2000
(20,544 posts)JCMach1
(27,544 posts)But blocked on Roku
JCMach1
(27,544 posts)MSNBC.
Until then, I won't feel guilty because I still have ads to sit through.
SkyDancer
(561 posts)There are 2 options.
1) Add Pluto channel to your ROKU who carries MSNBC. That being said, it is split between NBC news coverage and MSNBC. The stream is about 30 minutes behind live tv as well.
2) If you own a smartphone (I know my Galaxy can do this so I assume iPhones can too) there are apps in the Google play store (mine is native to my phone) which allow you to cast content through your ROKU. In other words, you can watch what is showing on your phone on your TV. http://tvpc.us/ChannelList.php is a site which has a massive listing of tv streams from all over the world and there has to be a couple hundred from the USA, one of which is indeed MSNBC.
This is handy for watching on tablets too.
Enjoy
KT2000
(20,544 posts)SkyDancer
(561 posts)MoonchildCA
(1,301 posts)I recently discovered I can listen to MSNBC and CNN live on it.
Its pretty cool. I occasionally listen at work and Im my car.
Oh, and its free...
KT2000
(20,544 posts)csziggy
(34,120 posts)Sling Blue is $25 a month and includes the basic cable channels plus some sports. The news option is $5 extra and includes MSNBC, CNN, BBC, CNBC, Bloomberg, and several others. While it does NOT include Fox News it does have The Blaze.
https://www.sling.com/programming/news#offer-details-open
KT2000
(20,544 posts)I'll look into this one.
DesertRat
(27,995 posts)I can stream it through the HULU Live app on my ROKU or on my laptop.
KT2000
(20,544 posts)In real time sounds good.
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)There is really no Free TV. Even PBS has sponsors.
ProfessorGAC
(64,427 posts)The article specifically mentions "PAY" TV, not satellite or cable. Hulu and Sling aren't free.
On Edit: My cable package includes a streaming app that lets me view anything on my cable line up anywhere i am, including things on the DVR and purchased shows and movies.
So, i'm streaming, sort of, but it's an identical line up. The interface even looks exactly the same as the wired TV's.
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)If you want to watch it, you'll going to end up paying for it, one way or another. Ain't nobody out there making TV programs for nothing.
llmart
(15,502 posts)I bought a $7 antenna about 8 years ago at the Salvation Army. I get about 15 channels. I get 4 different PBS channels in addition to NBC CBS ABC and some others.
I'm a reader and have never been much of a TV person. If I want to watch a movie, I go to my public library. They carry multiple copies of all the latest releases and entire sets of TV series. That's plenty to keep me occupied in the winter weather.
Luz
(769 posts)nothing. We're a little behind, but just watched 5 seasons of Breaking Bad for abt $20.00. Movies too.
Coventina
(26,874 posts)(Where no one will ever see it).
Unless someone is using rabbit ears, there's no "free" TV.
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)or user donations on PBS.
Coventina
(26,874 posts)Because it's underwritten by the Koch Bros.
Ugh.
workinclasszero
(28,270 posts)The GOP didn't get rid of net neutrality for nothing.
We just have Hulu and OTA now but I could live with just free OTA if pushed enough.
I think the professional sports leagues like MLB, NFL, NBA etc will all go pay per view pretty soon.
And that will end any interest I have in them just like boxing.
mythology
(9,527 posts)It would have stopped targeted rate raising and zero rating their own video service. But overall rates and datacaps weren't covered.
The lack of competition or utility style regulated rates is the bigger cost problem. Look at areas where Google brought Google Fiber. Suddenly the existing ISP offered gigabit internet and lower prices. But without competition (or regulated pricing), what's the incentive for an ISP to offer better/cheaper service?
onenote
(42,383 posts)lpbk2713
(42,696 posts)I intended to drop digital cable and save about $100 a month. I found out I can use the Roku as a cable converter in the bedrooms the same as the one in the media room and I get all the same channels. That would cost $15 a month for both if I got them from the cable provider. I might try it like this for a while.
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)lpbk2713
(42,696 posts)Your cableco might have something similar.
I receive all the basic digital channels plus the extras I had been paying for plus
the music channels. They get closed captioning too if you're interested in that.
Added: The one drawback with this is the remote is very basic. The only way to change channels is to use the channel up or channel down. So if you want to go from channel 08 to 370 it might take a while. Also, there is no previous channel function. I only use them in the bedrooms so it isn't a big deal to me.
louis-t
(23,199 posts)You fuck with people long enough and give them shitty service, they cut the cord.
Ponietz
(2,905 posts)shanti
(21,672 posts)you really can't escape them.
hunter
(38,264 posts)At most we'll see an occasional movie trailer.
That's all the television my wife and I watch.
The day I see an ad on Netflix is the day I quit them.
llmart
(15,502 posts)It was touted as being "ad free" which it was for awhile. But in an extremely capitalistic country such as ours, it soon became TV with ads and now you have to pay to watch ads.
Dave Starsky
(5,914 posts)I remember, too. Cable TOUTED themselves as being ad-free watching.
Those days are long gone.
Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,483 posts)in ages. Although Direct TV seems to be establishing a streaming presence in preparation for the coming Cablepocalypse.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)Was no longer willing to pay the price to watch commercials.
JCMach1
(27,544 posts)And DIRECTV NOW ON AMAZON FIRESTICK...
They don't tell you this stuff on the box...
You can get spectrum on FIRESTICK, but it requires a complicated side load.
JCMach1
(27,544 posts)For local stations... Simple one time cost
underpants
(182,284 posts)Each network affiliate has their regular channel and then weather on a loop and a rerun channel like MeTV. Then we get 3 PBS stations, a Law and Order franchise rerun channel, and some Sci-Fi type channel.
JCMach1
(27,544 posts)Over air broadcast
EX500rider
(10,532 posts)....of course some are religious channels and some are Spanish channels.
Revanchist
(1,375 posts)I wound up giving my antenna to a friend in lives in a more urban area
ananda
(28,783 posts)Internet only.
Two tv's, each with a Roku box and a dvd player.
I have Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and Acorn TV.
Love it so far!!!!!!!!!
Dave Starsky
(5,914 posts)I haven't had cable in 25 years. I've never, ever missed it.
Occasionally when I travel, I check out what the local cable channels are offering. As I surf around the dial, I see infomercial, infomercial, pharmaceutical ad, regular ad, pharmaceutical ad, infomercial, sport event that I don't give a shit about, infomercial, pharmaceutical ad, pharmaceutical ad, infomercial, pharmaceutical ad, infomercial, sport event that I don't give a shit about, infomercial, pharmaceutical ad, pharmaceutical ad, infomercial, REALITY SHOW about something I don't care about, pharmaceutical ad, infomercial, sport event that I don't give a shit about, infomercial, pharmaceutical ad, pharmaceutical ad, infomercial...
That's what people are paying hundreds of dollars a month for. Fuck that.
matt819
(10,749 posts)Theyre leaving cable tv for other services. Its not as if those other services are free. People are choosing an a la carte approach, which can sometimes add up to more than cable. Plus theres the cost of broadband.
Mariana
(14,849 posts)since the beginning of cable TV. It's no wonder they'll go to services that provide it, even if it does cost more in the long run.
MattP
(3,304 posts)hibbing
(10,076 posts)I dropped my cable service over a year ago after my bill skyrocketed. I have become a Netflix freak. We have had a monopoly cable company in town for decades. They finally have some competition, but I have a feeling after it all pans out, all the providers will have about the same pricing structure.
Peace
IronLionZion
(45,269 posts)Cable TV is just not worth the costs and arbitrary extra fees. I'm at the mercy of Comcast as they are the monopoly high speed internet provider but I get TV through a digital antenna plus Netflix and Amazon Prime.
I don't currently have premium channels but if I wanted them, Amazon Prime offers them as streaming services for a lower price than cable.
disenfranchised
(268 posts)[link:https://www.indiewire.com/2018/07/iatse-strike-negotiation-streaming-future-hollywood-union-crews-1201983279/|
I know we cheer when big companies like the cable companies take a hit. The CEOs aren't the ones who suffer. As the viewing habits switch, there are real hard working people who will suffer from this switch in viewing habits. Most of the ones who will be hurt will be liberal democrats in the below the line Hollywood trades.
Coventina
(26,874 posts)Unless you are using rabbit ears, there is no "free" TV.
JCMach1
(27,544 posts)MuseRider
(34,060 posts)who barely have streaming service at all will be hanging on for a while. Our wireless access is just OK right now for streaming but it is not stable and there are days we are still waiting for pages to load reading a website, not good if you are trying to stream TV. *sigh* Why do other countries make it easy for everyone to have access but this big, "richest country in the world" cannot manage at all. LOL.
JCMach1
(27,544 posts)Windstream... just get the fastest broadband you can afford and have access to...
MuseRider
(34,060 posts)while it is unstable and at times not nearly that it is like moving into the future for us. We were at 3 - 7 Mbps before. We can actually use Hulu most of the time but it does hang up and stall on us.
I am not complaining as much as stating that there are real deserts where people really cannot get much at all over the Net or TV if it relies on streaming.
For us, my god, 20 download is amazing.
I have not seen you around for a long time, good to see you again.
JCMach1
(27,544 posts)underpants
(182,284 posts)Then we'll get around to bringing y'all into the 21st century with the continuing your education and small businesses losing out due to slow speeds thing.
MuseRider
(34,060 posts)Yeah, old and stupid in Kansas. There are still people out there with dial up, all over the country with dial up. I cannot believe it.
At least with coal I could, if needed, fire it up and send a smoke signal!
unitedwethrive
(1,997 posts)I know ours is bundled with phone and internet, but it doesn't seem that bad for all three services.
crazycatlady
(4,492 posts)And haven't looked back. The only time I really watch TV is if I'm staying at a hotel. The first thing I notice is how many commercials there are. THe talking heads on cable news shouting over each other now give me a headache.
I don't listen to the radio either. Aux cord and Netflix/Prime have replaced my radio and TV consumption.
Xolodno
(6,341 posts)Prices/bills/etc. go up...wages don't rise equitably, so people look for areas to cut back. We had cable way back when, then while visiting Blockbuster saw the kiosk for DirecTV. Made the move. But then things started to creep up over time and tiering issues, this channel we like is on this more expensive package, etc.
So when the rent went up, dropped DirecTV and got the FireTV box. We've added Hulu...cheap version and Sling TV. We'll sub to CBS, Playstation VUE, etc. for a month for certain things...up our sub on Sling during Hockey season. And with all that, still paying less than we had with DirecTV, plus we didn't get the NHL channel with them.
Bottom line, pay tv providers need to adapt and providers of content need to do so as well. People ultimately make choices based on their economics...its foolish to think otherwise.