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Moves like this are convincing me more and more that my decision to drop Cable TV completely was the right decision. I can't wait until this War Against the Co

Moves like this are convincing me more and more that my decision to drop Cable TV completely was the right decision. I can't wait until this War Against the Consumer is over, but until it is I'll do my part to refuse to support these antediluvian companies as best I can. Don't get me wrong, I'll happily pay for content I want to watch. I was just paying for content that I never even thought about watching, much less enjoying, especially when much of what I want to watch (Daily Show, House, Dexter, etc) are online for free legally or come from Netflix.

kenjackson 16y ago
In fairness, I think the networks are perfectly happy if you buy their content (either on DVD or from an iTunes/Amazon like service). I think online streaming from their site is the problem. It is a loss leader. It's meant for second viewings or for people to stay up to speed if they missed a show. They don't have a revenue model for their websites to justify their existence if you don't buy their DVDs or watch via cable/OTA. One thing that struck me is why don't they move to a streaming model that looks more like TV. Three minutes of commercials every 10-15 minutes of actual content. I think this at least would begin to get them closer to their TV ad revenue. And with Hulu, since I can rate the commercials, I now get commercials that I'm generally far more interested in.
rdmlx 16y ago
Agreed; I dropped my cable TV subscription last month as I've started streaming Netflix through my Wii. I would be willing to pay 10x what I'm paying for Netflix right now.
mikeryan 16y ago
I don't entirely understand this. The networks make their money by both selling ads and through cable subscriber revenues. They've been pretty cool about allowing content to be streamed on the web, and they do so with limited ads and no subscriber revenue. This has only worked because the users couldn't get that content on their big screen (without jumping through some hoops). You call this a "War Against The Consumer" because the networks don't want to give away their product for free? I fail to see how the Networks are the bad guy in this.
- jameskilton 16y ago
  I understand your point and don't disagree with you there. The problem is that people are changing, the times are changing, and broadcast companies aren't. I personally want more control over what I watch and when I watch it. My cable tv subscription was about as useful to me as burning $60 / month. I watch very little TV in general, and when I can get any TV show I want from Netflix for $15 a month, or the shows that are on too late for me to watch are showing up online, by the broadcast companies, for free, it's hard to say that cable is still worth anything. I'm also not a big sports guy, that seems to be the one niche that's really keeping cable tv alive, but even that is moving more and more to be online available via subscriptions and what not, for better and more choices, TONS more choices. The advent of things like Google TV should be a massive wake-up call to the broadcast industry. The fact that the first thing major networks do is block the device, even though it's no different to someone on a computer shows that they're scared. They need to not follow the RIAA and fight to the death to keep the old ways, they need to adapt to the times, figure out how to build a new monetization strategy around internet content availability, and finally move into the 21st century.
akmiller 16y ago
I've thought a lot about dropping my cable but the one thing that has prevented me from doing so is sports. How do those of you that enjoy sports and have dropped cable handle that? I need to be able to see my local teams and watch many other NFL games but the problem within the U.S. is that because of deals the NFL has made with many of the content providers they don't provide any type of online service directly to the consumer. Any advice on how to get your sports fix without cable/dish?
- philwelch 16y ago
  The situation gets better every year. For the past couple of years NBC has been streaming Sunday Night Football. You can also go to a local sports bar, which may or may not be more expensive than just having cable during football season. If you're a soccer fan, things are much better. Soccer from the Barclays Premier League, Serie A, and UEFA Champions League is available on foxsoccer.tv for $15/mo. The World Cup was streamed for free in the UK and Canada, and monthly proxy server subscriptions are cheap.

kenjackson 16y ago

In fairness, I think the networks are perfectly happy if you buy their content (either on DVD or from an iTunes/Amazon like service). I think online streaming from their site is the problem. It is a loss leader. It's meant for second viewings or for people to stay up to speed if they missed a show. They don't have a revenue model for their websites to justify their existence if you don't buy their DVDs or watch via cable/OTA. One thing that struck me is why don't they move to a streaming model that looks more like TV. Three minutes of commercials every 10-15 minutes of actual content. I think this at least would begin to get them closer to their TV ad revenue. And with Hulu, since I can rate the commercials, I now get commercials that I'm generally far more interested in.

rdmlx 16y ago

Agreed; I dropped my cable TV subscription last month as I've started streaming Netflix through my Wii. I would be willing to pay 10x what I'm paying for Netflix right now.

mikeryan 16y ago

I don't entirely understand this. The networks make their money by both selling ads and through cable subscriber revenues. They've been pretty cool about allowing content to be streamed on the web, and they do so with limited ads and no subscriber revenue. This has only worked because the users couldn't get that content on their big screen (without jumping through some hoops). You call this a "War Against The Consumer" because the networks don't want to give away their product for free? I fail to see how the Networks are the bad guy in this.

jameskilton 16y ago
I understand your point and don't disagree with you there. The problem is that people are changing, the times are changing, and broadcast companies aren't. I personally want more control over what I watch and when I watch it. My cable tv subscription was about as useful to me as burning $60 / month. I watch very little TV in general, and when I can get any TV show I want from Netflix for $15 a month, or the shows that are on too late for me to watch are showing up online, by the broadcast companies, for free, it's hard to say that cable is still worth anything. I'm also not a big sports guy, that seems to be the one niche that's really keeping cable tv alive, but even that is moving more and more to be online available via subscriptions and what not, for better and more choices, TONS more choices. The advent of things like Google TV should be a massive wake-up call to the broadcast industry. The fact that the first thing major networks do is block the device, even though it's no different to someone on a computer shows that they're scared. They need to not follow the RIAA and fight to the death to keep the old ways, they need to adapt to the times, figure out how to build a new monetization strategy around internet content availability, and finally move into the 21st century.

akmiller 16y ago

I've thought a lot about dropping my cable but the one thing that has prevented me from doing so is sports. How do those of you that enjoy sports and have dropped cable handle that? I need to be able to see my local teams and watch many other NFL games but the problem within the U.S. is that because of deals the NFL has made with many of the content providers they don't provide any type of online service directly to the consumer. Any advice on how to get your sports fix without cable/dish?

philwelch 16y ago
The situation gets better every year. For the past couple of years NBC has been streaming Sunday Night Football. You can also go to a local sports bar, which may or may not be more expensive than just having cable during football season. If you're a soccer fan, things are much better. Soccer from the Barclays Premier League, Serie A, and UEFA Champions League is available on foxsoccer.tv for $15/mo. The World Cup was streamed for free in the UK and Canada, and monthly proxy server subscriptions are cheap.