Cable...Stream...what are you using?


 
We recently dropped Directv and started streaming with a Disney bundle (with Hulu) plus Netflix and ESPN+. So far so good.
 
JKalchik said:
This has been well foreseen. It's been pretty obvious for quite a few years now that every content creator was going to create their own streaming service and cut both cable and broadcast systems out of the revenue stream. If you think that what you're observing in terms of cost is accidental, I'm dead positive you're incorrect, it's completely intentional. The intent is to get as much money out of you as possible.
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The problem with most of these mainstream providers is that they still have commercials. They may sell them to people for a little bit but after that I think people will fall back to cable/dish providers. Not to mention the people that just can't grasp the idea -like my mother- of not having a single service to watch. Also as these services keep raising prices like they are it won't be worth the price any more. I downgraded my Hulu for this reason months ago.
 
Well so far I'm paying half compared to using Comcast.
I have MetroNet as my ISP. Stream YTTV, Ntflk, Prime, Hulu, Disney and HBO max.
My Wife is constantly on the lookout for a better deal..
 
@Russ in CFL one way or the other..... there's a huge revenue stream. IMO, if you're trying to find justification for their activities, you need to realize that we (the consumers) are the product, it's all about how advertising is sold based on how many eyes see it. I think Hulu is a good example, IIRC started out commercial free and is now a 2 tier service (one that is commercial free and one that ain't.)

As a related side note...... DVRs with automatic commercial skip capability are the invention of the Dark One himself in their eyes. It gives them the illusion that their advertising has been presented when we just do not see it.
 
I think as we see these streaming services proliferate, there will be shake outs and consolidation. We already see some bundling. I expect some of the larger services to buy up the smaller ones. It kind of reminds me of the dot-com expansion in the late 1990's, and the bursting of the bubble.
 
JKalchik said:
As a related side note...... DVRs with automatic commercial skip capability are the invention of the Dark One himself in their eyes. It gives them the illusion that their advertising has been presented when we just do not see it.
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That will end too. Free services like IMDB streaming will not allow you to skip or fast forward through commercials.
 
JSaus said:
I think as we see these streaming services proliferate, there will be shake outs and consolidation. We already see some bundling. I expect some of the larger services to buy up the smaller ones. It kind of reminds me of the dot-com expansion in the late 1990's, and the bursting of the bubble.
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I've read that the ad supported free services will merge in 2022.

There's a place for free services.

If someone does not need cable news ( which I don't ) nor sports ( which I need my college football ) then Philo is a great option. At $25 a month they offer a wide variety of networks.
 
I have one big bundle with Comcast and think it is a good value.

Hi speed internet, landline, cell phones, home security, basic cable, dvr, web based email. One bill, it all works, they come out to the house for free if it doesn’t work, and my wife can operate the system by herself.

We serially subscribe and unsubscribe from streaming services when there’s a show we want to watch.

The hassle involved in unbundling and recobbling your own personal bundle is totally not worth it to me. The potential savings seem quite small to me.
 
There's a principle to this. I don't like having to pay for 100's of channels I never watch.

And Disney/ESPN has been behind the growth of this cancer, from the git-go. I'd like to see them take a punch on the chin. For years, they had absolute pricing power and were able to force their products on people and make them pay for it. I want to see some economic justice.

As to how many streaming services, I don't care. The more, the merrier. Can't have enough competition.

Streaming has changed how I watch TV. But never have I been a big TV watcher. Sports is my only real connection.
 
I have looked into all the streaming services. But, I love to watch my Cubs and my Sox on the tube. So by the time I added up the cost of finding services that could give me that, plus whatever other entertainment I like than add in the cost of likely going over the Comcrap "allotment" of gigs it's less for me to simply stay with Comcrap. BTW I don't buy into their phone service of ANY type. Their so called landline is really nothing more than a VOIP service. Phooey on all that garbage. Same with their so called mobile service. It's simply an MVNO shilling for Verizon with VOIP backup if/when you're near an Xfinity hotspot. No thanks for either one. We have not had a landline in our home for at least 15 years. Don't miss it one bit. And for those who think you need a landline for 911, don't worry. E911 works just fine thank you. I know because recently having to call them for my dad on Christmas Eve. Proper services came to my house with no trouble. As for mobile service, T-Mobile 55+ plans fit the bill for us. Cheap and very effective.
For the record though, I do have a Smart TV and 3 ROKU devices. I do stream from Amazon. Not because I would buy that as a standalone but because I am a Prime member so it comes with it.
I also have Netflix. Here too. Only because I like some of the shows. Also I find the ROKU is more effective at streaming Xfinity than even the Xfinity box is. And since Xfinity is my ISP, they don't count any streaming of Xfinity against my "cap". They also forgive Netflix as well for some reason.
As the really high speed 5G service (I forget the name of it), I will likely simply get that from T-Mobile and dump Xfinity but for now Xfinity is my best overall option
 
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