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Comments on news posted 2009-02-23 09:01:35: Despite the tough economy, the idea that consumers are cutting the TV cord remains somewhat of a myth, at least according to Comcast and telecom stock jock Craig Moffett. ..
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 | | For Me.... I can only speak for myself in this situation but even though my finances are less than what they were before the economy went down, I'm still able to pay for my cable services with no problem. | |
| |  Chris 313Come get somePremium
join:2004-07-18
Houma, LA
 ·AT&T U-Verse
 ·Comcast Digital ..
 ·Comcast
| Re: For Me.... said by tdouglas22:I can only speak for myself in this situation but even though my finances are less than what they were before the economy went down, I'm still able to pay for my cable services with no problem. I agree with that. I've done the same. It's all about budgeting, eh? | |
| | |  kamm
join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY | Re: For Me.... said by Chris 313:said by tdouglas22:I can only speak for myself in this situation but even though my finances are less than what they were before the economy went down, I'm still able to pay for my cable services with no problem. I agree with that. I've done the same. It's all about budgeting, eh? Exactly, that's why it's not about people not being able to pay but about not wanting to pay for such overpriced, worthless PoC service.
Let's face it: the average dumb American can survive without TV, even if (s)he first will feel lost (OMG, reading books! Watching DVDs, video streams! Spending more time with family!)) - I can only hope more and more people will dicth their shitty-quality cable, cut $150/mo cost and spend it on their family or just save it...
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[BQUOTE=[user=bicker]]Waaaa waaaa waaaa. You just want what you want and don't care to factor in what is right or true. Your perspectives are un-American, and deserve far more ridicule than I'm prepared to pile on them.
[/BQUOTE] | |
| | | | bicker
join:2007-05-10
Burlington, MA | Re: For Me.... No one is forced, in any way, shape or form, to pay for cable service (beyond the strictly regulated, and therefore eminently affordable, local basic service). People don't want to pay for cable service because they would rather have more money to spend on other things -- it is as simple as that.
Practically no one who doesn't "want" to pay for cable service because they actually, honestly, consider it "overpriced" or "worthless", actually does pay for cable service, as you assert. Rather, they pay for cable service because they actually, honestly, consider it worth it despite their (and perhaps, your) excited protestations to the contrary. | |
| | | | | kamm
join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY
2 edits | Re: For Me.... said by bicker:No one is forced, in any way, shape or form, to pay for cable service (beyond the strictly regulated, and therefore eminently affordable, local basic service). People don't want to pay for cable service because they would rather have more money to spend on other things -- it is as simple as that.
Except that you seem to ignore the huge drop in cable TV quality with a constant price gouging every year.These two immediately render your argument false, sorry. Practically no one who doesn't "want" to pay for cable service because they actually, honestly, consider it "overpriced" or "worthless", actually does pay for cable service, as you assert.
Ehh? And you know it exactly how...? Pal, you're pulling sh!t out of thin air, let's face it. Rather, they pay for cable service because they actually, honestly, consider it worth it despite their (and perhaps, your) excited protestations to the contrary.
BS - they are doing it becuase of habits. Ask anyone and nobody will tell you it's a well-priced, decent service - instead they will all whine about being more and more expensive etc but they won't do shit because they are addicted to this crap. --
said by bicker:Waaaa waaaa waaaa. You just want what you want and don't care to factor in what is right or true. Your perspectives are un-American, and deserve far more ridicule than I'm prepared to pile on them. | |
| | | | | | bicker
join:2007-05-10
Burlington, MA | Re: For Me.... As I said, no one is forced, in any way, shape or form, to pay for cable service. No one. You seem to be ignoring that. You also seem to be saying that everyone else is an idiot and you're the only intelligent person, when the reality is that other people don't share your beliefs and values. Indeed, there are so many more of those "other" people that what you think is practically without merit. You're frustrated about that, that's clear. However, that is your problem, not theirs. They're getting what they want. You're not. They win. You lose. And getting frustrated about it doesn't actually improve your situation.
You choose to say that there has been a decrease in quality, ignoring excellent shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, In Plain Sight, etc. You refuse to acknowledge the reality that cable networks actually offer more, and better, service than they ever have before.
And your puerile vulgarity doesn't support your perspective either; it just makes it clearer that all we're reading is the rantings of a juvenile, or someone choosing to present themselves as such because they have no desire to engage in a mature discussion. | |
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| | | bicker
join:2007-05-10
Burlington, MA | I have to give you props, though, for recognizing how often your comments are without merit, and for paying tribute to me in your signature. I'm flattered. | |
| | | | | | | | | | | bicker
join:2007-05-10
Burlington, MA | Socialism isn't the answer You're not calling for anything. You're ranting. You claim the prices are over-priced, but then we point out how many millions of people are paying those prices, so you make up some other fiction to try to rationalize why they do so... accusing "them" of being "addicted". It reminds me a little of John Lovitz. "Yeah, that's the ticket."
You're anti-capitalism. Okay. That does put a lot of your ranting in context. However, this is a capitalist country. Just about half of our country supports a distinctly pro-business perspective. They don't buy into your socialistic, alarmist attempts to foster class warfare in our society, by demonizing the affluent.
However, this is not a political forum, so your self-centered distortions are not appropriate here. | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | bicker
join:2007-05-10
Burlington, MA | Re: Socialism isn't the answer Your vulgar language precludes granting your comments any further respect. Clean up your language, kid. | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Re: Socialism isn't the answer said by bicker:Your vulgar language precludes granting your comments any further respect. Clean up your language, kid. 2nd that. | |
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| | |  Titus PulloI came, I saw, I slept
join:2004-06-26
kudos:1
 ·Embarq Now Centu..
| I bumped into the guy I bought my house from 'not too long ago'. When I first met him to talk about the place I mentioned there was no cable or roof antenna, and this is rural area with maybe four OTA channels of low quality.
He said he wouldn't let his kids (three) watch TV. They had a dialup connection and could use that from time to time.
FF to 'not too long ago'. All three of his kids received scholarships to college - one of them a cream of the crop school. All THREE. I found it illuminating to say the least.
Of course, you can't blame it all on TV; a great deal of credit goes to the parents (and the kids), but I distinctly remember him saying the kids read books from the library rather than watch TV. You can't deny the connection.
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·Verizon FiOS
| Re: For Me.... TV isn't so bad as much as limiting the viewing of it. Growing up, I never really liked sitting there, glued to stupid programming (sitcoms are mindless).
But I do enjoy the educational channels (NatGeo HD, SciHD, HistoryChannel HD...). I can't justify +$30/mth for limited programming (and viewing) when I enjoy Netflix better.
And with Spring/Summertime coming, I'll watch even less.
Now, if someone had a pay-as-you-watch model that was effectively cheap...Say $10/mth... I'm in!
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Weeeeeeee! | |
| | | | | | Reviews:
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·Comcast
| Re: For Me.... said by cableties:TV isn't so bad as much as limiting the viewing of it. Growing up, I never really liked sitting there, glued to stupid programming (sitcoms are mindless). But I do enjoy the educational channels (NatGeo HD, SciHD, HistoryChannel HD...). I can't justify +$30/mth for limited programming (and viewing) when I enjoy Netflix better. And with Spring/Summertime coming, I'll watch even less. Now, if someone had a pay-as-you-watch model that was effectively cheap...Say $10/mth... I'm in! TV are for the lazy coach potato
Internet are for those who have the brain capacity to think, reason,learn and willing to do complicated thing for enjoyment | |
| | | | | | | | | Re: For Me.... said by jadebangle:said by cableties:TV isn't so bad as much as limiting the viewing of it. Growing up, I never really liked sitting there, glued to stupid programming (sitcoms are mindless). But I do enjoy the educational channels (NatGeo HD, SciHD, HistoryChannel HD...). I can't justify +$30/mth for limited programming (and viewing) when I enjoy Netflix better. And with Spring/Summertime coming, I'll watch even less. Now, if someone had a pay-as-you-watch model that was effectively cheap...Say $10/mth... I'm in! TV are for the lazy coach potato Internet are for those who have the brain capacity to think, reason,learn and willing to do complicated thing for enjoyment And how do you categorize people that watch Tv and also use the internet?
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| | | | | | | | | | Re: For Me.... Thinking couch potatoes? (Granted, I'm in that segment so I probably shouldn't talk.  ) | |
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| | | |  joetaxpayerI'M Here Till Thursday
join:2001-09-07
Sudbury, MA | said by Titus Pullo:Of course, you can't blame it all on TV; a great deal of credit goes to the parents (and the kids), but I distinctly remember him saying the kids read books from the library rather than watch TV. You can't deny the connection. -- The strongest correlation (with scholastic success) is for reading. Second is the amount of time spent actually talking to parents. Doing enough of those two doesn't leave time to veg out in front of the TV. I agree in full with your post.
On a side note;
I think if all parents managed to put a treadmill in front of the TV, and with a minimum speed allowed, told their kids they can watch all they want, that years from now there'd be a strange correlation between good health linked to high TV watching. | |
| | | | | | JPLPremium
join:2007-04-04
Downingtown, PA
kudos:1
1 edit | Re: For Me.... said by joetaxpayer:said by Titus Pullo:Of course, you can't blame it all on TV; a great deal of credit goes to the parents (and the kids), but I distinctly remember him saying the kids read books from the library rather than watch TV. You can't deny the connection. -- The strongest correlation (with scholastic success) is for reading. Second is the amount of time spent actually talking to parents. Doing enough of those two doesn't leave time to veg out in front of the TV. I agree in full with your post. On a side note; I think if all parents managed to put a treadmill in front of the TV, and with a minimum speed allowed, told their kids they can watch all they want, that years from now there'd be a strange correlation between good health linked to high TV watching. Absolutely agree. We made/make it a point to read to our kids. They have more books than shelf-space to put them on, and my oldest kids have taken to grabbing books from me and my wife. We even set up a special bookshelf for them - basically they're books that belong to either me or my wife, but which are appropriate for them to read. They know that anything that's on that shelf is fair game, and they don't need to ask permission to read it (now if I can only teach my oldest to actually put the books BACK, we'd be on to something  ). Any other books of ours require permission from us for them to read.
BTW, as a correlary to what you wrote - kids follow your example. Want them to do well in school? Get them into reading (my kids all have voracious appetites for books). Want to instill that love for reading in them? Then YOU need to read. My kids see me and my wife reading stuff all the time - books, magazines, newspapers, even stuff on line. We love to read, and it passed on to them. We don't just read to them (the younger ones that is), but they see us reading for our own entertainment too.
One last point - regarding your conversation item (talking with your kids) - another thing that we stress on this front - eating together. There are definitely activities that, from time to time, get in the way of sitting down together, but whenever possible we make it a point to ALL sit down to dinner at the same time. Eating on the go is strongly discouraged, unless you have no choice. Want to have those conversations with your kids? You need to eat with them. Heck, we'll even have dinner at off-times to adjust for schedules - one night we'll eat at 5:00... the next at 7:00. | |
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| | | |  major marcoRes Firma Mitescere NescitPremium
join:2003-02-13
Stepford, CA
1 edit | said by Titus Pullo:FF to 'not too long ago'. All three of his kids received scholarships to college - one of them a cream of the crop school. All THREE. I found it illuminating to say the least. What's the difference. They may as well have sat in front of the tube 24x7. It's not like the economy will be out of the toilet by the time they graduate. They'll be lucky to find a job flipping burgers and/or scrubbing the toilets of bailed out bank and automotive shareholders because this country is on the fasttrack to a 3rd world shithole.
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The Toll
Tracking Lord Stanley
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| kamm
join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY | said by tdouglas22:I can only speak for myself in this situation but even though my finances are less than what they were before the economy went down, I'm still able to pay for my cable services with no problem. It's less about people who are not able fto pay, it's more about people like me, who does not want to pay exorbitant torture fees for utter sh!t quality, compressed-as-hell forced channel packages, provided by crooked monopolies like this greedy piece of sh!t corporation called Time Warner Cable - when recession is in you will consider your spendings 2-3x more carefully and these boiling disgusts are the first things you're take care of...
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[BQUOTE=[user=bicker]]Waaaa waaaa waaaa. You just want what you want and don't care to factor in what is right or true. Your perspectives are un-American, and deserve far more ridicule than I'm prepared to pile on them.
[/BQUOTE] | |
| |  Jim GurdPremium
join:2000-07-08
Plymouth, MI | This article describes cancelling service totally. As for me I downgraded to limited basic service due to the constant rate increases from Comcast. Those type of stats aren't talked about in this column.
My bill with internet is now $63 and is down from the $100 I had been paying. I found myself hardly watching television anymore so why pay for it?
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Calling an illegal alien an undocumented worker is like calling a crack dealer an unlicensed pharmacist. | |
| | | kamm
join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY | Re: For Me.... said by Jim Gurd:This article describes cancelling service totally. As for me I downgraded to limited basic service due to the constant rate increases from Comcast. Those type of stats aren't talked about in this column. My bill with internet is now $63 and is down from the $100 I had been paying. I found myself hardly watching television anymore so why pay for it? Another good point, indeed.
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[BQUOTE=[user=bicker]]Waaaa waaaa waaaa. You just want what you want and don't care to factor in what is right or true. Your perspectives are un-American, and deserve far more ridicule than I'm prepared to pile on them.
[/BQUOTE] | |
| | | | | said by Jim Gurd:This article describes cancelling service totally. As for me I downgraded to limited basic service due to the constant rate increases from Comcast. Those type of stats aren't talked about in this column. My bill with internet is now $63 and is down from the $100 I had been paying. I found myself hardly watching television anymore so why pay for it? Same thing here... I was able to shave $45/month by dropping to limited basic. Even prior to the "recession" I was contemplating this - cable TV offers less and less. | |
| | | | | | Re: For Me.... I did exactly the same too ... and found myself a new hobby (FTA satellite)  | |
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| |  dadkinsCan you do Blu?Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
kudos:18 | I upgraded to digital + HD *AND* dropped the price - even after the 12 month promo runs out I'll be paying ~$27 less per month for my Comcast bill.
More for less, works for me!
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Think outside the Fox... Opera | |
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| | | said by tdouglas22:I can only speak for myself in this situation but even though my finances are less than what they were before the economy went down, I'm still able to pay for my cable services with no problem. TV is still cheap relative to most other entertainment alternatives in a down economy. A night out at the movies or a play for 2 with dinner before or after costs as much as a month of cable TV. A couple could cut back a night or two from several nights out a month and be ahead in their monthly budget.
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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page | |
| | | bicker
join:2007-05-10
Burlington, MA | Re: Cable TV is still cheap entertainment said by fAcEtIOUs:TV is still cheap relative to most other entertainment alternatives in a down economy. Good point. As a matter of fact, we actually won't see much downward pressure with regard to cable television rates, because as much as some folks will be reducing their service level to account for the bad economy, others will be switching their entertainment choices away from other, more costly entertainment options, as you alluded to, towards more affordable diversions, such as cable television. | |
| | | | kamm
join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY | Re: Cable TV is still cheap entertainment said by bicker:said by fAcEtIOUs:TV is still cheap relative to most other entertainment alternatives in a down economy. Good point. As a matter of fact, we actually won't see much downward pressure with regard to cable television rates, because as much as some folks will be reducing their service level to account for the bad economy, others will be switching their entertainment choices away from other, more costly entertainment options, as you alluded to, towards more affordable diversions, such as cable television. Nonsense. People more and more recognizing what a WASTE their TV fees are, especially when compared to Netflix and similar services.
Don't buy into Junk's lame arguments - he's just trying to sell his corporations here, that's all.
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[BQUOTE=[user=bicker]]Waaaa waaaa waaaa. You just want what you want and don't care to factor in what is right or true. Your perspectives are un-American, and deserve far more ridicule than I'm prepared to pile on them.
[/BQUOTE] | |
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See 9 replies to this post |
| rgarbin
join:2007-07-22
Jenkintown, PA | I cut the cable in December. Bought a new antenna in January. I'm using the $80+ per month in savings on other things. Like putting some of it in the bank. Doing things with my family outside the house.
We rent videos from Netflix and watch more FREE internet content.
We're very happy with the decision. Anything that gets us to watch less is ultimately a good thing.
One other thing -- in a word: Bittorrent. | |
| | Pv8man
join:2008-07-24
Hammond, IN | If you could only afford one, and had to choose.
TV? or Internet? | |
| | | | Thread has deteriorated. Please play nice. | |
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kamm
join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY | Spin in full spin: it's Q4 of 08 - let's look back in June.. ...because i BET we will see a big drop.
These companies will SPIN everything just make their earnings/stocks/etc look good - TWC just spun off its cable unit, DTV, Echostar, Comcast, they all in dire need for good news, keep in mind.
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[BQUOTE=[user=bicker]]Waaaa waaaa waaaa. You just want what you want and don't care to factor in what is right or true. Your perspectives are un-American, and deserve far more ridicule than I'm prepared to pile on them.
[/BQUOTE] | |
| |  espaethDigital PlumberPremium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN
kudos:2
 ·Clear Wireless
| Re: Spin in full spin: it's Q4 of 08 - let's look back in June.. Based on DirecTV's recent earnings statement they don't need to spin much. See: »investor.directv.com/releasedeta···D=364395
The DIRECTV Group Adds 461,000 Net New Subscribers in Q4 2008
DIRECTV U.S. Adds 301,000 Net Subscribers - The Most in Over 3 Years
Higher Full Year Gross Additions Combined with 9 Year Low Monthly Churn Rate of 1.47% drives Net Additions of 861,000 in 2008
DIRECTV U.S. ended the quarter with 17.62 million subscribers, an increase of nearly 5% over the 16.83 million subscribers reported on December 31, 2007. | |
| | |  BF69Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN | Re: Spin in full spin: it's Q4 of 08 - let's look back in June.. well of course. for months they were offering 12 months service for $40 a month for their nomrmally $57 service. | |
| | | | espaethDigital PlumberPremium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Minneapolis, MN
kudos:2 Reviews:
·Clear Wireless
| Re: Spin in full spin: it's Q4 of 08 - let's look back in June.. said by BF69:well of course. for months they were offering 12 months service for $40 a month for their nomrmally $57 service. Only for new customers.
The most telling factor is the churn rate of 1.47%, which reinforces my point that people aren't leaving in droves. | |
| | | | | BF69Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN | Re: Spin in full spin: it's Q4 of 08 - let's look back in June.. said by espaeth:said by BF69:well of course. for months they were offering 12 months service for $40 a month for their nomrmally $57 service. Only for new customers. The DIRECTV Group Adds 461,000 Net New Subscribers in Q4 2008
which is what I was refering too in the first palce. | |
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 NightfallMy Goal Is To Deny YoursPremium,MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI
 ·Site5.com
·Comcast
·Callcentric
| Still a cheaper alternative than other activities Those that are cutting costs should be looking at the big picture. I know everyone is feeling the pinch these days. In the end, it comes down to how you want to spend your money. I am not a bar person. I don't go out to eat a lot. So I spend a little more money on entertainment at home like Warhammer Online MMORPG subscription, games for my computer and consoles, and Directv.
I have a friend who hates cable/satellite television because he says its a waste of money. He canceled his television subscription last year in November. He still constantly bitches that he can't watch his shows on FX and the hockey games on the sports networks. Yet, he will go out to bars 2-3 nights a week and spend $30-$40 a night in beer and food. So about $200 a month on the low side, and my directv bill isn't even half that.
I know some people here say that directv, comcast, charter, and so on are all too expensive. Just as there are people who believe that MMORPGs and games for your computer are a waste of money. In the end, it comes down to how you want to spend your entertainment dollar. There is no right and wrong answer here. Just what you prefer.
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See 28 replies to this post | |
| | The real data please. Oh if an analyst says so then it must be true. How many people have kept their Cable/Satellite service but cut back on packages like HBO and such? | |
| |  MrMoodyFree range slavePremium
join:2002-09-03
Smithfield, NC | Re: The real data please. I cut the cord completely (no pay TV), and I know others who have as well. DTV is contributing to this.
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"Government figures are usually incorrect and the rest are always lies." - Jim Rogers, Rogers Holdings | |
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| | I will be changing my future plans.. Right now, pay around 150 a month for TV, Internet and phone, and another $100 to 150 amonth on cell phones (family plan with 2 iphones). The current 2fer deal that, internet and TV that verizon has for 99 is what I will be changing to (I have FIOS already), but I do not use the landline.
Ideally I would be able to dump all teh rest of the crap.. ESPN, I know I am paying for it, but I never watch it.. in fact, I watch zero, absolutely no sports on TV... I did not even watch teh Olympics, I hate sports on TV.. why should I be paying for it...
In the current times, I think ala'carte (spelling??) type programming would be great for the customer, obviously not so much for the content providers and the carriers since it would be a loss of revenue, but times are tough, and if need be I will drop TV all together, and I am sure many are like me..
I like everyone else.. and starting to cut services, and unless those service providers do something.. they will end up as the casualties, not the customers... | |
| | kamm
join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY | Re: I will be changing my future plans.. Agreed. I'm so disgusted with TWCNYC's shitty quality and sky-high pricing I'll drop them within a month or two - the only remaining question is what's next: OTA+Hetflix only, a cheap ($30-40) Dish package or when FIOS arrive get a TV bundle...?
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[BQUOTE=[user=bicker]]Waaaa waaaa waaaa. You just want what you want and don't care to factor in what is right or true. Your perspectives are un-American, and deserve far more ridicule than I'm prepared to pile on them.
[/BQUOTE] | |
| | Reviews:
·Comcast
·Charter
| said by jvanbrecht:Right now, pay around 150 a month for TV, Internet and phone, and another $100 to 150 amonth on cell phones (family plan with 2 iphones). If you factor in the programming, bandwidth and infrastructure, telephony, etc costs for the 1 service vs the 3 it is amazing how much cell companies charge these days. | |
| | Reviews:
·Great Works Inte..
| I'm in the same spot in regards to sports programming. This is a huge part of our cable bills. It seems every year ESPN goes back to the same well and dips in for more money. The cable operator complies because it knows it has a bunch of angry customers on its hands if it does otherwise.
I'm considering unscrewing the coax from the wall for a week and seeing how it goes. I can easily get 75% of the content I watch over the air. At least half of the remaining stuff is available online in some sort of official capacity. And of course the remaining content is out there on P2P, though I prefer to avoid that. The convenience of cable bringing it all on the same line is nice, but it's still advertiser-supported programming and that convenience charge is getting a bit too much these days. | |
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me1212
join:2008-11-20
Pleasant Hill, MO | I know I pay for dish. I have the 250 plan with dvr and locals. and in response to the title of the news thing, well duh, of course people still have pay for tv stuff if we can afford it why not? I know some cannot afford it, and I feel sry for them, but we are blessed enough to be able to pay for it, so..... | |
|  celeritypcFor Lucky Best Wash, Use Mr. SparklePremium
join:2004-05-15
Caldwell, NJ | Let's compare apples to apples... The real comparison, in my opinion, is how much have people cut back on other entertainment options. I bet the biggest sector to get slammed will be the movie theaters. When it comes down to it, given a choice of paying for cable/satellite, paying for dvd rentals or going to the movies, more people are going to choose the former 2 over the latter. At this point, the only way movie theaters can survive is though teenagers and young adults who will pay the high prices of going to the movies. Those in charge of the family entertainment budget will choose the other options. | |
| | | | Re: Let's compare apples to apples... I was going to dinner with my wife Saturday night. As we went past the theater I made the comment that you couldn't tell there was a recession going on by the looks of the parking lot. | |
| | Reviews:
·Great Works Inte..
| I think theaters could draw more people with a little effort. Clean floors and walls plus comfortable stadium seats go a long way, but few theater operators want to put any money into their property. Technology helps too. My trips to the theater must be up about 1000% over the last couple of years after they installed a few digital screens. I pick and choose now what I want to see based on whether it's digital projection or 35mm. | |
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| | ... I could still afford my cable, internet, and VoIP, but I shut them off just the same to save some money. No one else I know has, so it wouldn't surprise me if subs weren't down.
I have to wonder if th industry is going to reach a point where more people do finally start saying enough is enough. Just this weekend a friend was telling me his Verizon bill, which covers his cell, home phone, tv, and internet, is $275/month. He is just a single guy so his bill is considerably less than others I know who have families and multiple cell phones.
Almost everyone needs a phone. Internet is a necessity for many, but tv has competition that is free: On-line and over-the-air. If they are not feeling the heat they should feel pretty good. | |
| |  insomniacOh YeahPremium
join:2002-09-22
Naperville, IL
·Comcast
·AT&T Midwest
| Re: ... said by Millenniumle:Just this weekend a friend was telling me his Verizon bill, which covers his cell, home phone, tv, and internet, is $275/month. He is just a single guy so his bill is considerably less than others I know who have families and multiple cell phones. That's just incredible to me. Was he complaining, or is he not worried about it? I have all those services from three different companies, and my total is $200/month, which is bad enough. If I lost my job, the $102/month for cable would be the first thing to go.
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If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something. | |
| | | | | Re: ... He mentioned it matter-of-fact, no complaining. I didn't comment about it either. It's his business. He did mention the cell plan had mega minutes on it. I guess he uses his phone a lot. So that may be one reason his is as high as it is.
When I had cable, internet, and voip, they cost me $110 combined. If I had a cell phone too I expect it would have been less than $200, but close. I just use a Tracfone now @ under $11 per month - use over-the-air for tv - and internet at work as needed. | |
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| | Equal opportunity Moffet is an idiot, dont listen to anything he says. He's like a weather forcaster, he's wrong half the time. I think he flips coins when making predictions. | |
| | | Maybe the real answer is because [/b]local tv stations aren't offering or showing anything anyone like,movies,variety shows,programs of interest[/b], like discovry channel, or animal channel, ect,here is (ABC) reality shows,not many movies,
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DSLReports is a place to learn,discuss & make new freinds,
NOT a place to argue,or put people down because they do not know,to ask a question is to learn | |
| |  jmn1207Premium
join:2000-07-19
Ashburn, VA | Re: Maybe the real answer is said by whocares0:because [/b]local tv stations aren't offering or showing anything anyone like,movies,variety shows,programs of interest[/b], like discovry channel, or animal channel, ect,here is (ABC) reality shows,not many movies, You have a clash of cultures with OTA programming. On PBS you get Masterpiece Theatre with "Sense and Sensibility" marathons and you have reality TV on the networks. They should make a reality show about the daily lives and struggles of some theatrical group on Broadway. That would be a hoot. | |
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 SLDPremium
join:2002-04-17
San Francisco, CA | I did my part... Cancelled Comcast television service but kept Internet. Couldn't stand paying $100/mo for their blocky compression and a DVR and would intermittantly drop audio during the few shows I acutally watched. Now my media center PC is nearly paid for by the saved subscriptions and my new extenders are going to be too. | |
| | | Price hikes My yearly DirecTV price hike letter arrived right on schedule this weekend. It's time to make a switch. | |
| | | | Re: Price hikes said by VictorWI:My yearly DirecTV price hike letter arrived right on schedule this weekend. It's time to make a switch. A switch to...?
All the cable and sat providers are hiking prices. I'm dropping my Dish Network package down to the bronze HD and getting rid of my DVR. I don't watch sports, and animal planet isn't worth $10. | |
| | | | | Re: Price hikes Switch to someone who will give me a better offer for 12 or 24 months. Even as a long time customer the threat of leaving doesn't equate into a lower bill. Only when you call to actually cancel are they willing to suddenly work with you. | |
| | | Titus PulloI came, I saw, I slept
join:2004-06-26
kudos:1 | You're paying for the loss of other subs and services. Once the bottom line falls enough, stockholders get panicky and all hell breaks loose.
Personally, I think that horse is long out of the barn ...
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| | Forgot something else What about people who are still in contracts that "think" they cannot afford to pay the early termination fee.
Same thing with cell phones are many do not want to pay the ETF even though it will be cheaper in the long run depending on how many months they have left on the contract. | |
|  HarleyYacYacoPremium
join:2001-10-13
Allendale, NJ
kudos:1 | Got rid of HBO/Cinemax package. They really are not worth the $30 xtra a month.  | |
| | jmn1207Premium
join:2000-07-19
Ashburn, VA | Re: Got rid of said by HarleyYac:HBO/Cinemax package. They really are not worth the $30 xtra a month. Since I rarely go to the theatre or rent movies, the movie channels are a great value for me. With my DVR's, I'm able to grab 3 or 4 movies a week and watch them at my leisure. Granted, I'm about 4-6 months behind the curve when it comes to the latest movies, but those movies eventually show up and I save money in the long run to watch movies in better quality than the average DVD. This is especially true with FiOS, since so many movie channels are HD. | |
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| | still paying for TV January came with a 17.00 hike to cable TV. Also I was going to have to upgrade to HD channels and a HD DVR box in the very near future. Thought this was a little excessive in today's economy. Went out and bought a OTA antenna for the roof and installed between snow storms. I get around 20 something channels (including multi-casting) between 2 markets and the digital picture is way better than what we were getting on cable as it is compressed very little and sometimes in HD.Added a DVR and we never looked back. Sure, some of the channels have the same content, but with the DVR there is always something on when you are ready to watch. Wife's happy, kids happy--70.00 in my pocket every month.Will make up the equipment outlay in no time.I thought the cable company would start with the discounts talk when I called to cancel, they only asked one question (what are you switching to),and that was it, only,(thanks for staying a broadband customer),see-ya.
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"Oh my antenna gone...oh no its right down here, maybe if i wiggle it around i'll get more service" | |
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See 6 replies to this post | |
Chaldo
join:2008-03-18
West Bloomfield, MI
1 edit | Petition Why cant everyone just sign a petition to cut there cable unless X demands are set we would so win if everyone did that.... YEAH RIGHT!
edit: although I mean if they keep hiking cable prices up its going to have to stop somewhere, I don't think people will like to pay 120 a month for like 50 channels come on.... | |
| amungusPremium
join:2004-11-26
America Reviews:
·AT&T DSL Service
| the parents Parents just signed up for Dish. They moved and only got 1 OTA channel (+ 1 sub-channel and a scratchy low-power analog broadcast of FOX - so, 3 total, if you count sub-channel and barely watchable analog one...). The basic 100 package + locals ends up being about $40/month (after promo of course)- about the same price as the standard "expanded basic" with Cox.
Anymore, they all have similar prices. Dish seems to have slightly cheaper plans than DirecTV. That, and my parents don't watch too much sports (where DirecTV does have an upper hand...)
Was also very easy to set up my parents with no contract and the basic package that we were after - no pressure at all from the sales rep - sure, they have to try and upsell, but it wasn't anything high pressure at all...
If I didn't have a roommate who loves mindless tv, I'd probably drop it completely except for analog "basic" (2-20 or whatever it is) for a few shows and the local weather channel...
Even though the DVR is nice to have, it might be returned soon. I have no need for tons of channels. If OTA reception were decent in this area, I'd probably be content to have just that and internet.
As for staying with carriers, I'd bet most people don't have much of a choice. Here (if you're in town) you get cable - or either sat. company - that's it. Out of town, good luck with OTA unless you have a massively awesome antenna that's seriously tweaked.
Rate hikes can also be mostly attributed to the likes of ESPN... and the love of televised sports...
From :: »www.talkdisney.com/forums/td-arc···ney.html
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"The heart of Cox's complaint was this: At $2.61 per subscriber per month (before the coming rate hike), ESPN costs more than the seven other most-watched standard cable stations combined." -----
(bold emphasis mine)
...and this looks like it was posted in 2004... wonder what the numbers are today.... | |
| | | Yeah, but... I know some companies, who will remain nameless, were putting some borderline misleading commercials out there about getting ready for the transition by switching to them. Don't know if those ads had the intended effect, but how did the digital transition impact subscriber numbers?
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"This is a bus. You know how big a bus is?" | |
| Reviews:
·Charter
| I pay $0 and can tune in 14 digital channel. Lets see, ABC in HD, CBS in HD, NBC in HD, PBS in HD, FOX in HD. Yup, got all that.
Got a 24/7 kid channel and 24/7 weather channel too.
Get to watch all my favorite shows in HD? Yup. Got that too. I get to watch Heroes tonight in HD. I've been able to do that for years even. Didn't have to wait for a service provider to "offer" HD, and I certainly didn't have to pay for an HD upgrade.
$0.00 per month! Over the air is great. Why would I pay for TV service when it's been free for years?
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»xenomorph.net/ | |
| | | | Re: I pay $0 and can tune in 14 digital channel. said by Xenomorph:Lets see, ABC in HD, CBS in HD, NBC in HD, PBS in HD, FOX in HD. Yup, got all that. Got a 24/7 kid channel and 24/7 weather channel too. Get to watch all my favorite shows in HD? Yup. Got that too. I get to watch Heroes tonight in HD. I've been able to do that for years even. Didn't have to wait for a service provider to "offer" HD, and I certainly didn't have to pay for an HD upgrade. $0.00 per month! Over the air is great. Why would I pay for TV service when it's been free for years? Same here. Even have a dual tuner DVR setup in bedroom plus media extender to play back in living room.
Comcast just added the really Basic (25 channels) cable to our plan. I don't have it plugged in. Save $10/month for a year, then $5/mo over just internet. Only channels I would gain that might be good would be WGN and CBC.
If having one more subscriber for cable helps them more than $10/mo then good for them. Otherwise not paying (directly) for tv anymore.
And online viewing is getting better and better. | |
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| | everything cost too much when your broke No steady job and everyday the stock market gets lower or stays the same and then gets lower. This year is by far one of the worst years in this decade next to 2001.
I don't go to movies anymore, the floors and walls are nasty and sticky yes even the walls! I would have to get in the theatre early to get a good seat in the middle, most theatres in the US these days have a sports stadium style seating arrangement which is nice unless you end up at the bottom row. While I'm sitting there I have to endure tons of local tv commercials non stop! I didn't come to the theatre to watch tv commercials:( Then before the movie starts there is the trailers which go on and on for almost as long as the tv commercials. FINALLY the movie starts and of course right on que, local gang members start acting up if they are in there and people with babies won't leave lol and my personal favorite... cell phones start ringing and people won't get off them!
I hate the movie theatre I don't want to go there ever again. I miss the collective enjoyment with other people but it's just not worth it anymore, I don't mind the ticket price so much in my area though, it's mainly the other things that bother me.
Cable tv is boring, I only want to watch star trek on a regular basis and all shows of it not just one or two. Anime lots of it and only good anime not garbage anime like some of the stuff adult swim has taken a risk with in the past or some obscure crap like X recently shown on scifi chanel. I can't find any of those things on cable tv anymore in the amount that I want. Oh yeah and has anyone noticed there are MORE COMMERCIALS on tv paid or not? I'm fed up with commercials I refuse to watch them so I don't watch tv much anymore just the weather and the news thats it.
Until I can afford all dvd sets for star trek and anime that I want, I don't have much to watch lol. The only things that are keeping me from cancelling cable tv right now are the news channels and weather channel, my mom watches that crappy lifetime channel and thats it. | |
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