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Comcast Only Loses 17,000 TV Subscribers
Network Re-investment Pays Dividends
Comcast has issued their fourth quarter earnings, which show that the cable giant has managed to somewhat slow the flow of subscribers to telco TV and satellite TV alternatives. The company lost just 17,000 TV subscribers on the quarter, compared to 135,000 one year earlier. Unlike some cable operators, Comcast has been aggressive on the DOCSIS 3.0 front, and has at least been trying to keep pace with some of the new TV-related service offers seen with FiOS and U-Verse. Comcast managed to add a whopping 336,000, as DSL subscribers from slower telcos head their direction -- again a benefit of network re-investment. AT&T and Verizon added a combined net 51,000 broadband subscribers on the quarter, and AT&T lost 636,000 DSL users on the quarter.
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baineschile
2600 ways to live
Premium Member
join:2008-05-10
Sterling Heights, MI

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baineschile

Premium Member

hopefully this year for Comcast....

TV:
4 tuner DVRs...
MPEG4 transition
1080p On Demand Content
More HD stations
Channel realignment to make sense

CHSI:
Faster speeds
Bigger or tiered cap
MORE upload bonding
more n and a/c devices?

CDV:
eh

Other stuff:
More wireless broadband coverage (with the VZ deal)
home alarm
maybe get into the tablet world?

ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

ArrayList

Premium Member

Re: hopyfully this year for Comcast....

said by baineschile:

CHSI:
more n and a/c devices?

can you clarify what you mean by this?

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: hopyfully this year for Comcast....

said by ArrayList:

said by baineschile:

CHSI:
more n and a/c devices?

can you clarify what you mean by this?

I think he means more 802.11n & 802.11ac wireless products to integrate TV & HSI offerings.

baineschile
2600 ways to live
Premium Member
join:2008-05-10
Sterling Heights, MI

baineschile

Premium Member

Re: hopyfully this year for Comcast....

said by FFH5:

said by ArrayList:

said by baineschile:

CHSI:
more n and a/c devices?

can you clarify what you mean by this?

I think he means more 802.11n & 802.11ac wireless products to integrate TV & HSI offerings.

this. i still only see a/b/g devices installed when i go through the forums listed on here.

djdanska
Rudie32
Premium Member
join:2001-04-21
San Diego, CA

djdanska

Premium Member

Re: hopyfully this year for Comcast....

Comcast does give out n routers. They gave me one 2 years ago. If you get docsis 3.0, they give you a nicer one.

crazediamond
Maybe you shouldn't be so proud?
Premium Member
join:2002-01-19
Brooklyn, NY

crazediamond to baineschile

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to baineschile
I'd like to add

My bill: hopefully less than 2 rate increases
Sammer
join:2005-12-22
Canonsburg, PA

Sammer

Member

Re: hopyfully this year for Comcast....

said by crazediamond:

I'd like to add

My bill: hopefully less than 2 rate increases

Considering that we are already paying for too many channels that are filled with low budget crap, reruns, and commercials that we never watch to get the few channels we do want to watch, any cable TV rate hikes until there is a la carte are outrageous.
Sammer

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to baineschile
said by baineschile:

TV:
CHSI:
Faster speeds
Bigger or tiered cap
MORE upload bonding

It would suck if they lowered the cap on any tiers but raising it (more bandwidth) on the faster, more expensive tiers would make sense.
wb6uqu
join:2001-01-27
Milpitas, CA

wb6uqu to baineschile

Member

to baineschile
No penalty for Internet ONLY!!!!! (Same price as TV subs).

LeftOfSanity
People Suck.
join:2005-11-06
Dover, DE

LeftOfSanity

Member

Re: hopefully this year for Comcast....

said by wb6uqu:

No penalty for Internet ONLY!!!!! (Same price as TV subs).

Why do you consider it a penalty? That is the normal price, and you get a discount when you add additional services.

Just like many other companies/services, like I get a discount on my insurance when I bundle car/homeowners etc.

Fast food places give me a discount when I get a combo. Its cheaper to buy a combo than to buy all three separately.

Ultibeam
join:2008-05-27
USA

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Ultibeam to baineschile

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to baineschile
That would be boss but this Comcast we're talking about. You'll pay an extra $$ for these "exciting" new services.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

1 edit

FFH5

Premium Member

More Comcast financial info

Their presentation to Wall St:
»files.shareholder.com/do ··· tion.pdf

Financial trends over last 2 yrs:
»files.shareholder.com/do ··· dule.pdf

The full earnings release:
»files.shareholder.com/do ··· bles.pdf

Home town reporting:
»www.philly.com/philly/ne ··· 708.html
voipnpots
join:2011-10-13
USA

voipnpots

Member

Re: More Comcast financial info

Thanks for those links. Now, someone just needs to edit Wikipedia.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102

Premium Member

Non-Sequitor

How can it be concluded that it was network upgrades that helped Comcast to retain TV customers?

I can see how that might work for Internet customers, but the decision to cancel TV is usually a financial one on the part of the subscriber. All the upgrading on Comcast's end won't result in the TV portion of the service coming down in price.

Himom
@comcast.net

Himom

Anon

Re: Non-Sequitor

With the basic cable going all digital anyone "stealing" cable had to sign up for legitimate service as you are unable to view any TV at all without a box as all channels are encrypted
b10010011
Whats a Posting tag?
join:2004-09-07
united state

b10010011

Member

Re: Non-Sequitor

said by Himom :

With the basic cable going all digital anyone "stealing" cable had to sign up for legitimate service as you are unable to view any TV at all without a box as all channels are encrypted

They are not all encrypted, at least not in my area. You an still receive what amounts to "limited basic" on any TV with a QAM tuner.

The problem is the channels are not mapped the same. So your local NBC station on channel 7 might be on 234.54, and that can change at any time.

MemphisPCGuy
Taking Care Business
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join:2004-05-09
Memphis, TN

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Probably based on the perceived "discount" of bundling 2 or more services. So keeping Internet & TV appears "cheaper" than Internet alone. Which I never really understood since bundling never makes your rate go down, they just shuffle $10-15 one way or the other

Comcast did raise my internet only rate from Performance Plus at $69.95 to Blast! Plus for $72.95 starting in January.

Netflix $10
Hulu Plus $10
Zune Pass $10
Giganews $30
OTA HDTV Priceless

So, while cutting the cord isnt necessarily less expensive, I do have greater control.

FifthE1ement
Tech Nut
join:2005-03-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL

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to pnh102
said by pnh102:

How can it be concluded that it was network upgrades that helped Comcast to retain TV customers?

I can see how that might work for Internet customers, but the decision to cancel TV is usually a financial one on the part of the subscriber. All the upgrading on Comcast's end won't result in the TV portion of the service coming down in price.

Well for one the network upgrades provide more bandwidth which allows for faster speeds & more capacity which allows for more HDTV channels which allows for Comcast to offer better deals which means more customers. X+Y=Z Simple math baby. If the telcos weren't still nursing ancient (40 year+ in my neighborhood) copper they wouldn't be losing so many subscribers. Also Comcast has some of the larger bandwidth caps in America due to, again, network updates & maintenance.

And why wouldn't it mean prices coming down as Comcast in my area offers tons of deals on HSI, VoIP, and Cable! Hell I was on a deal and once it ended they sent me a paper saying they had upgraded me to another deal where I only had to pay $10 more per month! And in over a year that was my only rate increase!

5th
yhp
join:2006-12-27
Philadelphia, PA

yhp to pnh102

Member

to pnh102
Clearly, Comcast's hi-speed Internet service is a hot commodity. Now, spend some time pricing out that high-demand Internet service with and without TV in your market. You'll find some interesting things.

Sometimes, a customer will find that basic TV service is only another $10/month. How does that "magic" happen? Here's an example: in my current bill there's an offer for Economy Internet for $39.95/mo - but $29.95 when you take video or voice service. So you've automagically got a $10 coupon on TV service, whatever that is. And as the suite of taxes and fees is there "already" when you're on HSI, the cost of additional TV service is usually much closer to "published price", making it even more attractive, and feel less like a ripoff. As someone has already posted below -- by the time you're done, you're often not saving any real $$ - just being manipulated in a shell game -- but the bottom line is this:

Pricing for HSI subscribers is designed such that the net savings in your monthly budget of "cutting the TV cord" is negligible if you're getting HSI. Once you're on board with HSI, going TV-free amounts to a trivial change in the bottom line. For the most basic TV services, we're talking saving $20/mo, and a lot of people decided that that's worth not enduring disruptions of dropping TV.

Bundling puts customers into more of an "In for a penny, in for a pound." situation.
chances14
join:2010-03-03
Michigan

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just another instance of karl taking facts and twisting it to support his own point of view. network upgrades may have been the reason for the addition of customers but karl provides zero evidence to support that. all i see here are assumptions
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080 to pnh102

Member

to pnh102
said by pnh102:

How can it be concluded that it was network upgrades that helped Comcast to retain TV customers?

I can see how that might work for Internet customers, but the decision to cancel TV is usually a financial one on the part of the subscriber. All the upgrading on Comcast's end won't result in the TV portion of the service coming down in price.

Maybe you've had your head in a cave lately.. but if you look around, you can find many popular $$ PAY CABLE-TV CHANNELS streaming for FREE on the internet!.. Go a-searchin and ye shall find (much to the shagrin of the cable-tv companies). That's probably why many of the big CABLE-Cos were behind that "INTERNET OFF SWITCH" to censor IP addresses on the SUSPICION of copyright violations. That's what's accounting for more and more of the cable-tv service cutting by customers. Well, to be honest, that and soaring gasoline prices.. so you get your streaming fix for free and your able to fill up the tank ONE MORE time for the $50 you'd spend on cable-tv and all the surcharges, rental fees and taxes/surcharges now added to even satelltie cable-tv!

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102

Premium Member

Re: Non-Sequitor

said by tmc8080:

Maybe you've had your head in a cave lately.. but if you look around, you can find many popular $$ PAY CABLE-TV CHANNELS streaming for FREE on the internet!.. Go a-searchin and ye shall find (much to the shagrin of the cable-tv companies). That's probably why many of the big CABLE-Cos were behind that "INTERNET OFF SWITCH" to censor IP addresses on the SUSPICION of copyright violations. That's what's accounting for more and more of the cable-tv service cutting by customers. Well, to be honest, that and soaring gasoline prices.. so you get your streaming fix for free and your able to fill up the tank ONE MORE time for the $50 you'd spend on cable-tv and all the surcharges, rental fees and taxes/surcharges now added to even satelltie cable-tv!

What the heck are you talking about? How does this explain how Comcast's upgrading of their network is going to result in better TV subscriber retention? You just argued the opposite.

IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

Member

16:9 Channel Guide would be nice...

How about a new 16:9 Channel Guide for starters?....

I'm sick of this 4:3 Coleco-Vision crap.
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

1 recommendation

fiberguy2

Premium Member

Re: 16:9 Channel Guide would be nice...

Yea.. me too! I mean, I can't wait to come home, turn on the TV, call up the guide and spend all evening basking in all it's beauty. All that darn TV viewing just gets in the way of the guide anyhow..
raptor1418
Premium Member
join:2002-12-03
Denver, CO

raptor1418

Premium Member

Question the validity of those 17,000

I know Comcast came around my neighborhood asking if we would like to upgrade our service for internet. By doing so they gave us a digital tuner that gets the basic channels. That sounds like padding the numbers IMO and I have yet to connect a single TV to that basic channel feed.

I am still a Dirctv subscriber and don't plan on changing that anytime soon.
yhp
join:2006-12-27
Philadelphia, PA

yhp

Member

Re: Question the validity of those 17,000

said by raptor1418:

I know Comcast came around my neighborhood asking if we would like to upgrade our service for internet. By doing so they gave us a digital tuner that gets the basic channels. That sounds like padding the numbers IMO and I have yet to connect a single TV to that basic channel feed.

Yeah, this fixation on non-cord-cutters has always struck me as ... strange ... especially given that HSI with DOCSIS speeds seems like an out-and-out money-printing machine next to selling TV service ... but this article clears up the fact that it's a number Wall Street is very interested in. (And clearly, what Wall Street wants, Wall Street gets. What could possibly go wrong??)

I always assumed it was a regulatory thing -- Comcast gets so much out of being a cable franchise that I suppose if the TV service teat dried up, citizens of towns and cities who have granted Comcast the cable franchise would have to actually look around at everything they're doing for Comcast and start wondering why, exactly....
biochemistry
Premium Member
join:2003-05-09
92361

biochemistry

Premium Member

If they really want new growth

If the companies really want new growth there are thousands upon thousands of subdivisions out there with access to neither cable or dsl. (No they are not all trailer parks located in cities without running water) The first one to expand in those neighborhoods gets every single customer. I thought these duopolies preferred monopolies.
nishiko7
Premium Member
join:2007-05-01
Pleasant Hill, CA

nishiko7

Premium Member

Yeah, but much of this is probably artificial

Yeah, on paper it may look like they lost fewer cable subscribers, and TECHNICALLY, they probably have. BUT... I suspect much of this is only because they THROW IN for free basic cable if you subscribe to their BLAST Internet promotion as a new subscriber (at least as of last week in parts of California). I suspect there are other promotions/speed tiers eligible for this too.

THE TAKEAWAY HERE IS: I recently switched from UVerse to Comcast for Internet Only, and only asked for Internet, but got basic cable with it THAT I HAVE NO INTENTION OF USING.

****However, they still get to COUNT this as another cable sub.**** Imagine how this might be inflating their TV subscribers, and I imagine this is no accident.

This tactic can't be doing any good for their ARPU (Avg Revenue Per User for those unfamiliar with industry lingo) though.

Unless cable prices come down for the decent packages, I have no interest in cable. I use OTA and go Over the Top to Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Instant Videos, youtube, etc. DVD's at the library, reading more, etc. Cable TV prices are now at a point that are unsustainable, especially if they plan to keep up their standard yearly pace of (total... might be 2-3 throughout the year) significant price increases. They are shooting themselves in the foot, and can't even wake up and see that.

BTW, the REASON I switched from AT&T UVerse: I ***LOVE*** uVerse reliablility (nearly perfect at my place), but I DID NOT LOVE:
1) not being able to effectively/efficiently use my own router behind their gateway (as it doesn't support true bridging, like most other ISP's do... a router behind their gateway results in a double-NAT situation, which is almost NEVER ideal... DMZ Plus IS NOT the same as a true bridge mode). Oh, their gateway IS REQUIRED for their VDSL2 service also, I should mention. If they aren't willing allow true bridging from their gateway for Internet-only subscribers, they need to at least make their own router web admin more complete, especially to allow QOS settings for individual devices, etc, the richer and more control, the better.

2) Whenever much network activity at all was going on, especially much uploading, even if only 1/4th my upstream bandwidth, my third party Voip service would break up to the person I was talking to (my voice to them). In the forums, I believe I read one person say it was mainly because their packet queues are too long in the gateway. Also, probably related, when uploading all out, my download speeds would go down to about half or so. Makes little sense for ~3 Mbps upstream traffic to knock my 24 Mbps downstream down to about half-ish. They need to fix all this.

3) Not much pricing flexibility for longtime subscribers... on the maximum plan they offer, they would only give me $5 off. Give me a break. I don't expect it to match new customer offers, but they could at least meet at about half way, or AT LEAST give $10/month on that expensive plan.

4) Need more upstream bandwidth. I don't understand for an Internet only household, when the gateway is syncing at 5 Mbps, why they only allocate 3 Mbps on their highest speed plan for those subscribers without TV service. I can see wanting a little headway, but why not 4.5 or at least 4 Mbps?

It's only been a few days, but Comcast has been very reliable AND FAST so far, with none of the issues I mention here. The reliability is key since I use a VPN a lot, and in the past had issues with Comcast. Hopefully not anymore, at least very rarely.

I think UVerse internet is great if they could just work on some of these problems, especially #'s 1 & 2.

Sorry this post turned out so long and morphed into a two-topic post. I just was hoping someone from AT&T could see this. Or Comcast could be reaffirmed about what they are doing right at least.

One last note, these ISP's need to think twice about lowering bandwidth caps. That's the quickest way to build ill-will and encourage churn.

CableTool
Poorly Representing MYSELF.
Premium Member
join:2004-11-12

CableTool

Premium Member

Re: Yeah, but much of this is probably artificial

said by nishiko7:

Yeah, on paper it may look like they lost fewer cable subscribers, and TECHNICALLY, they probably have. BUT... I suspect much of this is only because they THROW IN for free basic cable if you subscribe to their BLAST Internet promotion as a new subscriber

Just to clarify- They didnt start doing this in the last two months- The Basic Service discount has been going on since Internet was offered.
Also- Adding in Basic Subs and LOSING Basic subs are different numbers.
nishiko7
Premium Member
join:2007-05-01
Pleasant Hill, CA

nishiko7

Premium Member

Re: Yeah, but much of this is probably artificial

I thought those were NET numbers?

As for the time duration of availability, thanks for the clarification (I didn't know), but it would seem it's still good to call this out so that everyone can be aware of this factor when interpreting the numbers. It's then their choice how they think it should be weighted.

CableTool
Poorly Representing MYSELF.
Premium Member
join:2004-11-12

CableTool

Premium Member

Re: Yeah, but much of this is probably artificial

said by nishiko7:

I thought those were NET numbers?

As for the time duration of availability, thanks for the clarification (I didn't know), but it would seem it's still good to call this out so that everyone can be aware of this factor when interpreting the numbers. It's then their choice how they think it should be weighted.

I honestly dont think anyone cares how one person or another feels things "should" be weighted. Your thoughts or mine for that matter do not really count for much. Its a number for shareholders to judge performance it was decided long ago to be legit and has proven itself out time and time again.

Transversely you can say when Analogs were first moved to digital and "Basic" customers were converted to Digital Tier customers that they loss from the "Basic" side were lumped in with "Net Lost Basic Subscribers"
There was no footnote to say the customer ITSELF wasnt lost.. the money from that RGU actually GREW.
Instead it was reported as a Lost Basic Sub.

It isnt surprising that in this quarter, after a lot of digital migrations have been completed that Comcast is seeing less of a loss. Most areas have converted a large amount of Basic subs to digital already. This number might be the norm this year..

There are still areas though, many, that are going 100% digital. When that happens these "Lost basic subs" will pop big numbers again.. But the reality will be they have most likely been converted to digital subs.
Sammer
join:2005-12-22
Canonsburg, PA

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to nishiko7
said by nishiko7:

I suspect much of this is only because they THROW IN for free basic cable if you subscribe to their BLAST Internet promotion as a new subscriber (at least as of last week in parts of California).

Until the FCC allows them them to encrypt the lowest (Limited Basic Service) digital tier they might as well throw in it for free to internet only subscribers unless Comcast wants to spend the money sending out a truck and technician to put a trap on your cable line that may cause other problems.
nishiko7
Premium Member
join:2007-05-01
Pleasant Hill, CA

nishiko7

Premium Member

Re: Yeah, but much of this is probably artificial

Wow, interesting point. Hadn't occurred to me they could also be doing it out of practicality.
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

fiberguy2 to Sammer

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to Sammer
said by Sammer:

said by nishiko7:

I suspect much of this is only because they THROW IN for free basic cable if you subscribe to their BLAST Internet promotion as a new subscriber (at least as of last week in parts of California).

Until the FCC allows them them to encrypt the lowest (Limited Basic Service) digital tier they might as well throw in it for free to internet only subscribers unless Comcast wants to spend the money sending out a truck and technician to put a trap on your cable line that may cause other problems.

Why? .. no need. The frequency in which tier 1 basic resides and the frequencies that internet works on are not close enough to each other for a trap to matter. Traps have been part of the cable industry for decades in both negative and positive traps.

Besides, when an internet only customer wants to make a change, there is a rate disclosed fee for the truck roll that covers that visit. Yes, they sometimes will waive that fee, but it's typically passed to the customer. And yes, some traps can cause problems but that's not exception, not the rule.
fiberguy2

fiberguy2 to nishiko7

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to nishiko7
said by nishiko7:

Yeah, on paper it may look like they lost fewer cable subscribers, and TECHNICALLY, they probably have. BUT... I suspect much of this is only because they THROW IN for free basic cable if you subscribe to their BLAST Internet promotion as a new subscriber (at least as of last week in parts of California). I suspect there are other promotions/speed tiers eligible for this too.

THE TAKEAWAY HERE IS: I recently switched from UVerse to Comcast for Internet Only, and only asked for Internet, but got basic cable with it THAT I HAVE NO INTENTION OF USING.

****However, they still get to COUNT this as another cable sub.**** Imagine how this might be inflating their TV subscribers, and I imagine this is no accident.

You're looking at this issue in a very skewed sort of way. Be it that you use it or not, you're subscribed to it so the number is absolutely valid. You chose to subscribe to the service, did you not? You are being charged for it on your bill, are you not? You are in all valid points a cable tv subscriber. However, they do also count basic and digital customers separately as well.

So what are you trying to get at? .. that the fact that you are plugged into the cable feeders, video is flowing, and that you're paying for a service (watched or not) that you are some how not a cable TV subscriber? .. and that this is dishonest?

Seems legit to me.

But, if you'd like to disconnect your basic TV service that you're not watching, then maybe you can say that they can no longer count you.
nishiko7
Premium Member
join:2007-05-01
Pleasant Hill, CA

nishiko7

Premium Member

Re: Yeah, but much of this is probably artificial

Sorry if I ruffled feathers. If you think about it objectively, both my point and yours can be made. And I did say that those numbers were TECHNICALLY correct. Otherwise my point stands on its own. Just something to be aware of is all when people are interpreting these numbers. There are almost certainly an increasing number of people that don't care about basic cable and are likely using their free basic cable the same way I do, that is, not at all.

I don't know if I can cancel my basic cable, and besides, I wouldn't want to if free because that means there won't be a filter on my line so I will FOR SURE not be affected by that... even if it usually doesn't affect Internet anyway. As I said, I've had trouble with Comcast internet and reliability in the past, so I would like to remove even the slightest hint of a problem since reliability is very important to me.

I've turned off notices of replies, I don't intend to have this spiral into some flame thing. People can read the various points of view and decide for themselves whether they find any value from my post or give it any validity. I personally don't care that much.

I expended a lot of energy in the hopes of awareness (in general) and giving feedback on UVerse and Comcast (especially to employees), in the hopes both services can be improved where need be or stay good where they already are.

funchords
Hello
MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA

funchords

MVM

Artificial Video Gains?

Interesting ... two people in here made the same point ... Is Comcast delivering CATV converters to their Internet-only subscribers and counting them as basic cable subscribers? Is this how they made 1.3% gains in video?

I am hearing a lot about cord cutting or cutting back. Many of my friends have either done it or are doing it. (So much so that I feel like a Luddite.) With so many people openly claiming to have done it or are doing it, I would have expected to see a loss.

I do know that TV value is really poor for me. The word "wasteland" is too strong but it's getting there. The advertisement to programming ratio has passed 1:2 with many 4-5 minute pods of commercials. As a lover of old shows that originally supported fewer commercials, I hate that they're cutting these shows up to fit into time slots with more ad time. There are few history programs on the History channel. BBC America shows Star Trek.

I do not yet subscribe to Hulu Plus, Blockbuster, Amazon Prime, or Netflix (any others I should consider)?
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

1 recommendation

fiberguy2

Premium Member

Re: Artificial Video Gains?

said by funchords:

Interesting ... two people in here made the same point ... Is Comcast delivering CATV converters to their Internet-only subscribers and counting them as basic cable subscribers? Is this how they made 1.3% gains in video?

Numbers are not based on the converter in your home.. they're based on the rate codes that drive the service on your account.

I am hearing a lot about cord cutting or cutting back. Many of my friends have either done it or are doing it. (So much so that I feel like a Luddite.) With so many people openly claiming to have done it or are doing it, I would have expected to see a loss.

You are "hearing" about a lot of cord cutting, for sure, but like anything it's not what you "hear" rather it's what is reality. People are in fact cutting the cord, I don't think that could be doubted at all.. BUT, reporting and analyzing are two different things. Some people (obvious names will be with held) 'report' on some aspects of an industry but they don't go in-depth and look at the entire picture. So while people are with no doubt cutting cords, the fact existing customers do move between providers for various reasons.. and that could be better bundling offers, intro offers, the internet offering sometimes incites people to give up their satellite offering for a better price.. there's all sorts of reasons. That is often left out of the story while that does have an effect on numbers. For some "reporters" who tend to have a thing against, oh say, the cable industry, they will often tend to under report facts which supports their bias and agenda.

But.. on the other comment you made.. I am an Amazon Prime member so I get their video service with my membership at no additional charge. I personally am extremely pleased with it. Just not sure if you realize that the Free Amazon Prime streaming is just a small portion of their entire catalog that they offer to their prime members. There is actually some good stuff in there, but that's subjective anyway. Amazon Prime is a part of their retail side first, and the selection of free streaming is secondary, not primary, to the membership. Not all of their video is included for free.. much is still for rent and purchase.. but still, a great service provided by a great company that clearly takes customer service as job 1.

What disappoints with the streaming services, in my opinion, is that it seems you have to subscribe to several to make an even half ass experience out of it since they're so much picked apart by the very content providers.
Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL

Mr Matt

Member

There would be more!

There would be more Comcast Subscribers jumping ship in this development if it were not for the fact that CenturyLink cannot provide two streams of HD to most of the 85 homes here. Several neighbors have tried Prism and pulled it out because of poor image quality and pixelated images. Many are replacing Cable and unsatisfactory Prism with DBS.

••••