Here it is, are you ready?
Turns out, Americans would give up their TV service before they'd give up their Internet service. Anyone surprised? Anyone? No?
To be fair, people really love having their TV service. I have friends who are chomping at the bit for the next season of Game of Thrones to start, and I believe are paying for cable just so they can watch it. I have another friend who claims they wouldn't be able to live if they couldn't watch Judge Judy. Seriously.
The thing is, much of that is available if you have Internet service and a little patience. For example, you all know I'm a reluctant fan of The Walking Dead, and I am able to buy episodes through a (legit) video marketplace the day after they air for $3.00 per HD episode, or $2.00 for SD. So I pay $12.00 a month for that show as opposed to $131 I was paying for cable just to watch that one show. And you'd be surprised what can be found on YouTube.
"We're not here for brains, we're just looking for a good Wi-Fi set-up."
Even the SuperBowl was streamed online this year for anyone who wanted to watch, cable subscription or not.
In fairness to people who love TV, some networks seem like they love being beholden to cable companies (by the way, one of the big issues with the Comcast / Time-Warner merger is that the new company will be able to extort higher carrier fees from content providers, meaning the networks, which will then be passed on to you) . HBO requires a cable service to watch their shows online, as does HGTV and many others, but if you're patient many shows end up on DVD or Netflix or somewhere else in relatively short order.
It was an adjustment giving up my cable TV service, but I'm glad I did it. There's a sense of freedom and independence that came with it, and apparently I'm not the only one who came to that conclusion. And that is not going unnoticed.
I should also mention this bizarre point made in the original article: "Pew noted spectacular growth in use of the Web, especially since 1995." So, in other words, there has been spectacular growth in the single most revolutionary development since the introduction of the transistor, especially if we start counting from the day it was made available to the general public. Stop the presses!
I am definitely not surprised that people will let their cable go for internet. I asked hubby which he would let go if we had to cut one and he picked cable. That was a surprised since he loves his TV shows. I asked why and he stated that we can still watch our shows via internet. Which is true since we finally got to watch the Walking Dead series starting from the first episode through Netflix. I wonder if the cable company consider services by Netflix or Hulu as competition because I normally use Netflix to catch up or keep up with the TV shows. There are so many out there we would like to watch that we just wait till they come out on Netflix.
ReplyDeleteIt does make sense that if I had to pick one I would go for the internet, it is cheaper and it offers more than cable does. However sometimes I cannot find the one episode I missed of a certain shoe on YouTube, or a certain series on Netflix. Recently I wanted to watch a Hispanic series that came out years ago, Netflix had it available on CDs but when it arrived I was very let down. It had been edited and many pieces of the show where missing, I found myself not understanding what was going on. My cousin who lives in México and has access to my account was able to watch it on line and without the editing, which makes me think if it has anything to do with location. I am a fan of the Spanish comedy shows (from Spain) and they are not available on Netflix or YouTube, cable does have certain channels focus on different nationalities, allowing me to keep up.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that cable or satellite services are becoming very unpopular nowadays. With the emergence of Netflix, Hulu+, AppleTv, Roku, YouTube, and many other internet alternatives, it almost seems that cable or satellite is very unnecessary and expensive. You can almost watch the very same shows between the two services so why not go the cheaper route.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that cable or satellite services are becoming very unpopular nowadays. With the emergence of Netflix, Hulu+, AppleTv, Roku, YouTube, and many other internet alternatives, it almost seems that cable or satellite is very unnecessary and expensive. You can almost watch the very same shows between the two services so why not go the cheaper route.
ReplyDeleteI do not find that surprising at all there are so many alternatives and methods that are much more economical and faster. Another thing about the alternative is that the viewer is in control in what they want to watch for instance Netflix if you are interested in watching a TV series you have the opportunity watch what you want when you want it. Another thing just like you mention with a cable company there is that whole feeling tied down because it involves a contract. I currently have cable and something that really "bursts my bubble" that when I watch t.v (cable ) that there is nothing to watch. Eventually cable will be obsolete and the alternative methods will prosper the consumers watchers.
ReplyDeleteI am right along with you, I do not have cable and it has been 2years since I last had cable. I feel to have cable it is way too expensive and you do not get all the channels. There are additional fees for HBO, Cinemax etc. I remember when those use to be included within your cable package. When I did have cable I had Cox (they are so over priced) and I upgraded my regular cable to get digital thinking now I will have the channels. WRONG!! I felt I was paying way to much I had digital, and internet and my bill was approx $200 per month. Then one day I decided that I do not want cable anymore they do not show nothing on TV that find worth watching, so I cancelled it. Now all I watch is Netflicks (my Fav), I also have Hulu and I watch shows off of Youtube. And you are right you can watch anything and everything off of the web that is shown on regular TV/cable. Now all I have is internet in my house, which is fine because my bill is only $75 oppose to the $200 I was paying. (big difference) With the Comcast/TimeWarner buy out, Comcast has already gotten Netflicks to pay them for faster streaming speeds to deliver a crystal clear and faster picture while streaming. I am sure other streaming programs will also be paying Comcast for access to their direct network. I think this Comcast/Timewarner buy out could get messy.
ReplyDeleteI would also give up my cable before giving up my internet. I believe the internet keeps you so much more connected to the world and whats going on at that moment. TV shows are easily found online through sites like; netflix, hulu and even the network website the show is on.
ReplyDeleteI think this is awesome! I haven't had a cable service since about 2011 and the only reason I had one then is because my roommates at the time literally demanded that we have it so I was outnumbered 2 to 1 so we had to get it. Since I was paying for my third of it I would record the shows I wanted to watch. Now that I don't have a cable service anymore, I bought a $15 antenna from Fry's and it works great. It is how I am able to watch the one show I love to watch, Grey's Anatomy. Any other show there are services like hulu, netflix, or even going directly to the tv channels site like www.abc.go.com where I can watch full episodes that are played on TV.
ReplyDeleteI am actually one who gave up my cable service and stuck with my internet. With the expanded use of the internet cable service has become obsolete. And waiting a day or two to view a new episode is not big deal, especially since I would DVR the shows and watch them at a later time anyways. The move to the internet has caused an increase in the reduction of subscriptions to cable service providers, and rightfully so. Why would someone pay three times as much or more for something that they are able to get with the use of their internet provider. And having the internet is far more productive for me than having a cable subscription, so I obviously chose the internet over the cable. And by the way, Game of Thrones is a great show. I dint get into it until the end of last year when some of my friends couldn't stop talking about it.
ReplyDeleteI would give up television over the internet because of the amount of music I have access to on the web. There are many websites or torrents that you can search for music and are able to preview it before you download. I am not encouraging this although I save a great amount of money because I frankly wouldn't be able to afford to pay $1 a song. Another great source of music is Spotify(which has unlimited skips and stations), Pandora, and youtube.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't give up my cable before internet, in fact, it'll be the other way around. I watch TV way more than I surf the web. I never go on youtube, listen and download musics, or even shop online. I've never been hooked on the internet, the only time I will use it if it's school related or if I'm on social networks. But I do love movies, so I'd rather have my TV.
ReplyDeleteIt is no surprise that overall more individuals would rather give up their TV provider then their internet. I did the same thing when I moved out here to Las Vegas, I did Netflix and just connected my Laptop to my TV to stream shows from websites such as ABC for currently airing episodes. So this is something that I find to be very common and having a continuous trend in growth. This will not be going away anytime soon, but Cox, Direct TV and other TV providers should really begin to focus on internet services since TV is slowly going away.
ReplyDeleteThis article does not surprise me in the least. I am almost to the point where I am ready to give up my cell phone and computer to find some peace and quiet.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about which I would choose. Change is always tough. I don't watch tv much. I DVR everything so that when I do happen to have time and want to watch something there is something I like to watch. When I asked my 14 year old daughter which one she would choose she chose cable tv. As long as she has her cell phone then that gives her enough internet. My 6 year old daughter also voted to keep cable tv. My 77 year old mother also chose cable tv. I think that age plays apart in which they choose.
ReplyDeleteI also have never thought about which service I would choose. Now that you mentioned it, I would definitely choose the Internet service. I don't have time to watch TV, and when I do have time, I prefer to watch movies on Netflix. The only TV show I currently watch is Walking Dead. However, I don't think my mother would be happy if we discounted the TV cable service, as she loves to watch Life Time and Spanish Soap Operas. I think that's how companies grab customer's attention because they market "special bundled packages" to attract users to purchase their telephone, TV cable, and Internet service. I don't even remember the last time I used my home phone. Perhaps, sometime last year.
ReplyDeleteI was not aware that there was online stores that sold Walking Dead episodes. If I had the option to pick, I would definitely go this route. You also get to keep this episode forever, which is really cool.
I think cable is a rip-off honestly! I believe so many people have it because it's convenient, and it has been around for so long. The only reason why I have cable is for the internet service. If someone can give me another option that is cheaper, I would probably disconnect my cable.
ReplyDeleteMya Taylor