(09-16-2014 12:39 PM)chess Wrote: (09-16-2014 12:33 PM)CommuterBob Wrote: What's funny about most cord-cutters is that at the end of the day, they end up paying about the same for far less content than with cable/satellite. If people are dropping cable because of a $3/mo. increase in their cable bill, then they are just sticking their head in the sand about all the other indignities of rising costs across the board.
People are cutting the cord because they do not wish to pay $200/month for internet and television. Many times, they are willing to pay for internet. Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu give them what they want.
This is such a laughably bad comparison it is not even funny. The only people paying $200 a month, are those that want every channel. Comparing that to paying for Netflix ($7.99 per month), Amazon Prime ($8.99 per month), and Hulu ($8.99 per month), which total up to $25.99 per month, not to mention the increased internet service you need to handle it (for most another $10-$20 per month versus what is needed when you don't have to stream video all day) , to get far less is not remotely comparable.
Now compare Netlix, Hulu, and Amazon ($25 plus upgraded internet fees) to the cost to get basic cable ($35 per month) and a DVR, which is the most comparable service comparison, which also includes the likes of ESPN, and you get a much different picture. Especially when you can then scale down your internet offerings, you know if you are going for cost savings. What you are trying to compare is like comparing buying a used Hyndai to a brand new Lexus, and saying how much cheaper the Hyndai is and that Lexus is going to go out of business because of it.
Personally my total bills are under $60 per month. Cable is $33, internet is $15, and I use Netflix as sort of a movie channel. Because I stream so little, and only at low bandwidth hours at night, I am perfectly okay with the cheap internet. if I was using the net for all of my TV, I would need a $50 internet package (note, that is more than my internet and basic cable package). I also use my antenna which isn't much, but the sub channels OTA show some good old shows on occasion, plus the football games on CBS and ABC come in clearer than my cable box which is 720. I get more channels and offerings than people with the above, and pay less.
The other thing often missing from those articles citing "cord cutting, " is that cable subscribers are going down in part because there are less households.