If this is inappropriate for the site, I'll take it down, just let me know. The article about Comcast today got me thinking.
With today's internet options for streaming TV (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc) and the cable companies long and well known history of poor customer service, I find myself stumped as to why anyone would pay for cable now. For $18 a month I get Hulu and Netflix, and along with my Amazon Prime membership ($99 a year) - which I have for the free shipping anyway - that covers pretty much any show I ever want to watch, plus a vast library of past shows. For the only sport i watch - hockey - NHL Gamecenter offers live and on demand games for $25 a month during hockey season. There are other services for other sports as well.
So for half the cost of a basic cable subscription I get a service I can cancel or put on vacation hold or cancel anytime with zero hassle. Some people I know alternate months between Hulu and Netflix with vacation holds that way, though I don't. But the services offer flexibility and customer service level that cable packages don't. Note we've never heard (to my knowledge) from an outraged Hulu or Netflix customer who can't cancel their service or got upsold or lied to because that's not possible with their service. You want to cancel, you go online and cancel. Done in 5 minutes.
I get some rural areas may have poor or nonexistent broadand options and satellite TV may be the only option there. Nor am I trying to critize anyone's choice. If you want cable, by all means get it. I just wonder if I'm missing some great benefit to cable, or if the options we have now may eventually be the death of cable.
Of course, ISPs like Verizon do offer TV packages with Internet now - when I had FIOS I got their TV package for $5 more a month so that's another economical option as well. It's entiely possible that most people are getting their cable this way now - and that's not a bad deal if you are going to get the Internet anyway. My current locations ISP choices are limited, and they charge out the nose for the addition of cable, so I go with what I've described.
So, does anyone out there have traditional cable and want to share why they have it and why it works for them or their thoughts on the subject?
With today's internet options for streaming TV (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc) and the cable companies long and well known history of poor customer service, I find myself stumped as to why anyone would pay for cable now. For $18 a month I get Hulu and Netflix, and along with my Amazon Prime membership ($99 a year) - which I have for the free shipping anyway - that covers pretty much any show I ever want to watch, plus a vast library of past shows. For the only sport i watch - hockey - NHL Gamecenter offers live and on demand games for $25 a month during hockey season. There are other services for other sports as well.
So for half the cost of a basic cable subscription I get a service I can cancel or put on vacation hold or cancel anytime with zero hassle. Some people I know alternate months between Hulu and Netflix with vacation holds that way, though I don't. But the services offer flexibility and customer service level that cable packages don't. Note we've never heard (to my knowledge) from an outraged Hulu or Netflix customer who can't cancel their service or got upsold or lied to because that's not possible with their service. You want to cancel, you go online and cancel. Done in 5 minutes.
I get some rural areas may have poor or nonexistent broadand options and satellite TV may be the only option there. Nor am I trying to critize anyone's choice. If you want cable, by all means get it. I just wonder if I'm missing some great benefit to cable, or if the options we have now may eventually be the death of cable.
Of course, ISPs like Verizon do offer TV packages with Internet now - when I had FIOS I got their TV package for $5 more a month so that's another economical option as well. It's entiely possible that most people are getting their cable this way now - and that's not a bad deal if you are going to get the Internet anyway. My current locations ISP choices are limited, and they charge out the nose for the addition of cable, so I go with what I've described.
So, does anyone out there have traditional cable and want to share why they have it and why it works for them or their thoughts on the subject?
Likes:
AAGK and Andrew Der