https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...ing-clouds

"The bleak picture for the cable-TV industry looks a little less dire now that researchers are getting a better handle on sign-ups for online television packages like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue."

"Internet-based, cable-like services now have at least 1.3 million customers and are still growing, according to data released this month from Nielsen, which began counting such subscribers in January."

What is "less bleak"?

Over 10 million or so have cut cable but only 1.3 million sign for OTT services. Still a big net loss that is getting bigger every month.

My family has come full circle.

We cut cable when it was nearly $200/month. We switched to Sling TV for several months. When the cable company came up with a hybrid cable/streaming product for under $100, we switched back. Now we have the best service we've ever had, and it's half the cost it used to be.

There you go. Isn't that really all that matters? You got a superior product, and at a price significantly lower than what you were paying. If cable/sat can live with that model ... streaming will never be anything more than a niche for really low priced bundles.

And yet anti-cable zealots will still pine for the end of an otherwise perfectly reasonable and valuable service ...

(06-15-2017 09:29 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  My family has come full circle.

We cut cable when it was nearly $200/month. We switched to Sling TV for several months. When the cable company came up with a hybrid cable/streaming product for under $100, we switched back. Now we have the best service we've ever had, and it's half the cost it used to be.

It really is amazing that the charters and Comcasts of the world won't just give you the under $100 offer in the first place without having to do the song and dance of quitting and coming back.

My mom is about to have her promo expire. Instead of extending it or coming up with something comparable they are going to make her cancel, turn in all the equipment and the have it put in my stepdads name who is a "new subscriber"
So so dumb when the end result will be the same

Spectrum is the new evil empire...they have figured out they can grab $60+ a month for just Internet.

They are also making you bundle Internet, TV and Phone to get a one year teaser rate. Unlike TWC and Brighthouse they don't play the rate game anymore. After your service rate doubles after a year they tell you to go pound sand if you complain about the rates.

Spectrum is just a brand, like Xfinity. The actual company is Charter, which bought out TWC and Brighthouse.

I would be absolutely shocked if Charter's policy is to turn away customer loyalty requests ... doubt that is the case. Comcast has repeatedly come up with new promos in order to provide the same discounted service that we've had the last 3+ years (mainly for internet, but for the sake of appearances it includes a cable box that we don't use).

I would try calling up the customer service line for your Spectrum branded service again, and ask to speak to the loyalty department. Particularly if you approach the conversation in a non-threatening, non-agressive manner -- remember the people at the call center are just regular folks -- and explain that you'd simply like a new promo and/or to receive a similar discount on a similar product, usually they will help you. The "game" if you will is to profit off people who are too busy/too polite/too whatever to actually call in and ask ... which is far more than you think. So usually, if someone does call in they will help you out.


If they really are that stupid to turn away such requests, then cancel on the spot. Go with satellite TV and/or phone company internet, which should almost always be options in most major cities. Or maybe you're lucky enough to live in an area that has municipal or otherwise independent internet service.

I think the point that people don't seem to realize is that cable and cable companies aren't going to just go away without a fight. It might take until they're on the brink, but they'll come up with something to save their skin.

Whether that be morphing into their own "streaming" services or repackaging services to be more customer friendly, a la carte options, they're not going to just roll over and die.

Doesn't matter what the source is, there will always be a need for not just content, but good content.

As Mark Twain said...... “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

As I have said many times cord cutting is not viable for the vast majority of people. It's only truly viable for single males who did not watch TV in the first place. Or people who steal/borrow login info. For instance my sophomore year of college in 2010 I could not afford cable. My parents had HBO through AT&T and I could get AT&T DSL for 19.99 a month. So what I did buy a ROKU, log into my parents HBO account, bought an antennae, and sign up for Netflix.

That kept me right under $30.00 which was fine for me. Then here comes a woman to throw a wrench in your plans. "Baby, how can I watch HGTV and CNN?" Then you have the issue of not being able to watch on multiple devices at the same time because DSL is very slow.

Then you start to consider, is spending $69 for cable and internet really worse than dealing with your wife nagging you every day and saving 30-40$ a month? Nope.....

(06-16-2017 08:47 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  As I have said many times cord cutting is not viable for the vast majority of people. It's only truly viable for single males who did not watch TV in the first place. Or people who steal/borrow login info. For instance my sophomore year of college in 2010 I could not afford cable. My parents had HBO through AT&T and I could get AT&T DSL for 19.99 a month. So what I did buy a ROKU, log into my parents HBO account, bought an antennae, and sign up for Netflix.

That kept me right under $30.00 which was fine for me. Then here comes a woman to throw a wrench in your plays. "Baby, how can I watch HGTV and CNN?" Then you have the issue of not being able to watch on multiple devices at the same time because DSL is very slow.

Then you start to consider, is spending $69 for cable and internet really worse than dealing with your wife nagging you every day and saving 30-40$ a month? Nope.....

Then throw in the kids who want to watch Disney, Disney Jr. Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, etc.

There was never anything wrong with cable/sat TV as a product, and as a technology platform itself.

Particularly the newest boxes/services, which are able to record multiple shows at once into large hard drives, all in HD quality, while quickly changing from channel to channel and with great Guide features. You really can't beat the watching experience, there.


The problem was only ever the cost. They get it -- people started questioning why channel bundles had to be so bloated and so expensive. They're going to tone it down.

(06-16-2017 08:36 AM)MplsBison Wrote:  Spectrum is just a brand, like Xfinity. The actual company is Charter, which bought out TWC and Brighthouse.

I would be absolutely shocked if Charter's policy is to turn away customer loyalty requests ... doubt that is the case. Comcast has repeatedly come up with new promos in order to provide the same discounted service that we've had the last 3+ years (mainly for internet, but for the sake of appearances it includes a cable box that we don't use).

I would try calling up the customer service line for your Spectrum branded service again, and ask to speak to the loyalty department. Particularly if you approach the conversation in a non-threatening, non-agressive manner -- remember the people at the call center are just regular folks -- and explain that you'd simply like a new promo and/or to receive a similar discount on a similar product, usually they will help you. The "game" if you will is to profit off people who are too busy/too polite/too whatever to actually call in and ask ... which is far more than you think. So usually, if someone does call in they will help you out.


If they really are that stupid to turn away such requests, then cancel on the spot. Go with satellite TV and/or phone company internet, which should almost always be options in most major cities. Or maybe you're lucky enough to live in an area that has municipal or otherwise independent internet service.

Be shocked then. I was with Time Warner for 20+ years. I was even a beta tester for road runner in my area. Spectrum came in and increased the rates by 50%. I asked them about it and their first offer was to cut services. I had an offer from AT&T for the same services for about 50% less than that. They told me to go to AT&T then.

Yeah, the cable company (be it Cablevision, TWC, etc) has never given me a deal. They just let you leave. DirecTV and UVerse both gave me discounts though then I threatened to leave.

Of course, I'm not saying either of you is lying.

I am simply saying that my experience with Comcast -- who no one would said is the top rated customer service company -- is that of rewarding customers with continued promo/discounted pricing, if asked.


I haven't dealt with Charter (that is the name of the company, not Spectrum), so I can't speak to any experience on that, but I don't see why they would choose to be drastically different than their main national competitor.

(06-16-2017 08:37 AM)BadgerMJ Wrote:  I think the point that people don't seem to realize is that cable and cable companies aren't going to just go away without a fight. It might take until they're on the brink, but they'll come up with something to save their skin.

Whether that be morphing into their own "streaming" services or repackaging services to be more customer friendly, a la carte options, they're not going to just roll over and die.

Doesn't matter what the source is, there will always be a need for not just content, but good content.

As Mark Twain said...... “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Anything that makes these companies lower their prices and give more options to consumers is a good thing.

A cable company stranglehold on consumers was bad for everyone but them.

(06-16-2017 10:02 AM)MplsBison Wrote:  Of course, I'm not saying either of you is lying.

I am simply saying that my experience with Comcast -- who no one would said is the top rated customer service company -- is that of rewarding customers with continued promo/discounted pricing, if asked.


I haven't dealt with Charter (that is the name of the company, not Spectrum), so I can't speak to any experience on that, but I don't see why they would choose to be drastically different than their main national competitor.

A couple of years ago I approached TWC and they gave me a better deal. That was when they had no competition. Satellite was an option but it is not exactly the same service. Now Spectrum has taken over and AT&T has fiber in my neighborhood. Spectrum didn't want to hear it. They tried to make me feel guilty for even asking.

I understand the AT&T deal is an introductory offer and I may be in the same situation in two years. I probably would have accepted any reasonable offer from Spectrum. In the mean time, my cable bill is 1/2 what it was and I have more channels to not watch.

More power to you.

AT&T U-verse and Verizon FIOS are both relatively limited in availability nationwide, compared to Comcast and Charter. So you're lucky to have another option.


And once more for posterity's sake: it's Charter, not Spectrum. There is no company called Spectrum. (not trying to be a d__k)

(06-16-2017 10:34 AM)Wolfman Wrote:  

(06-16-2017 10:02 AM)MplsBison Wrote:  Of course, I'm not saying either of you is lying.

I am simply saying that my experience with Comcast -- who no one would said is the top rated customer service company -- is that of rewarding customers with continued promo/discounted pricing, if asked.


I haven't dealt with Charter (that is the name of the company, not Spectrum), so I can't speak to any experience on that, but I don't see why they would choose to be drastically different than their main national competitor.

A couple of years ago I approached TWC and they gave me a better deal. That was when they had no competition. Satellite was an option but it is not exactly the same service. Now Spectrum has taken over and AT&T has fiber in my neighborhood. Spectrum didn't want to hear it. They tried to make me feel guilty for even asking.

I understand the AT&T deal is an introductory offer and I may be in the same situation in two years. I probably would have accepted any reasonable offer from Spectrum. In the mean time, my cable bill is 1/2 what it was and I have more channels to not watch.

My AT&T internet discount expired a couple days ago and I called them up and they reinstated the discount for another year.

Suddenlink is the cable in my area and although they have a $19.99/month package for 20 mbs, they limit the data to 250 gig. With the amount of stream we do now, I'll need twice the amount, otherwise it would be a decent deal. The TV prices though are high and considering the extra $21/month for the 'equipment' (which isn't necessary) will keep me on the OTA airwaves and Netflix for quite sometime.

They are necessary, if you want that type of viewing experience.

If you're fine with OTA and/or Roku type viewing experiences, more power to you.

(06-16-2017 08:47 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  As I have said many times cord cutting is not viable for the vast majority of people. It's only truly viable for single males who did not watch TV in the first place. Or people who steal/borrow login info. For instance my sophomore year of college in 2010 I could not afford cable. My parents had HBO through AT&T and I could get AT&T DSL for 19.99 a month. So what I did buy a ROKU, log into my parents HBO account, bought an antennae, and sign up for Netflix.

That kept me right under $30.00 which was fine for me. Then here comes a woman to throw a wrench in your plans. "Baby, how can I watch HGTV and CNN?" Then you have the issue of not being able to watch on multiple devices at the same time because DSL is very slow.

Then you start to consider, is spending $69 for cable and internet really worse than dealing with your wife nagging you every day and saving 30-40$ a month? Nope.....

First of all, do NOT let your wife (or any woman who might someday become your wife) to watch HGTV! Unless you are willing to spend most of your free time doing "honey-do" projects. Saving money on your cable bill is secondary...