OK, I haven’t seen a “TV Show” for a couple of decades.
The progression:
Broadcast - 3 national networks, any other was local. Small town with no local stations? How big an antenna are you ready to buy?
Cable
Soon bloated and corrupt - the “Pay a fee and get no commercials” model died quickly
Satellite
What cable started to be
Streaming
A bloodbath is looming as the big players want ALL of the market.
So - how do you get content? How much are you willing to pay? Plans to change providers?
We had a poster comment in a cable-cutting thread that she/he was paying $250/mo to ComCast.
I can’t imagine that, even if I could easily pay it. Just how valuable is the TV experience?
I went back to square one. I dropped my cable, bought a DAT converter and set of rabbit ears for my set. I get 22 channels, 16 of which I actually watch. The picture is crystal clear with good stereo sound, and it’s free.
Also, the high prices of cable may also include internet and telephone, and there may be extra costs for HD and a DVR and of course, premium channels.
I have Netflix and sometimes consider Hulu, and feel the prices on those to be reasonable for what I get.
I refuse to have cable or satellite, I consider them overpriced (our phone and internet provider is ALWAYS trying to push us into getting their cable service, it’s like they can’t comprehend that we don’t want it).
I’ve purchased two series under the streaming content model and while I enjoy having them I’m not over fond of that model in it’s current form.
A couple series I’ve watched on network sites with the one-week delay they impose (it helps that my computer is linked to my TV so I can watch stuff on the biggest screen I own).
I also purchase physical DVD’s of series and movies watch content that way. This is a bit of a rare event for me, given my limited budget, but my sister and her husband usually give me Amazon gift cards for Christmas and birthdays so I can get 1 or two of those a year.
And yes, sometimes I watch on YouTube or some other copyright violating service. It’s not my first choice as the quality is usually terrible, I do have moral quivers over it, and, if I like an episode or two, I’d rather get quality on the level as long as the price isn’t too outrageous for me to manage.
I currently have Netflix but, given the language issues and that they have removed from their Spanish version some shows they used to have and I used to follow (most notably Agents of SHIELD; the 1st season was available, the others were never made available, season 1 has now been removed), I’m considering going back to wuaki.tv
I used to have wuaki before the job in Sweden (where wuaki wasn’t available and Netflix wouldn’t talk to me) and they worked well. Stuff is always available at least in Spanish and the original language (both audio and subtitles), and didn’t get removed because gee whiz we decided to change the terms of a contract in a different country.
Netflix.es does some very strange things regarding adding new content. They have Iron Man III, but not the previous ones. Wuaki has all three. Netflix has the third part of Hunger Games, but not the previous two. Again, wuaki has them all. OK, so I’d be missing on the Netflix-made superhero stuff. I’ll just sign up for a month when I want to have a marathon… if they do make those available, that is!
I have over-the-air digital broadcast(40 channels), and everything I can get on my Amazon Firestick that doesn’t require a subscription(which is still a hell of a lot).
We don’t get OTA channels here, at least, those of us without 50-foot masts don’t. So it’s wired TV or nothin’.
Dumped cable years ago in favor of Hulu+Netflix+Roku+Amazon Prime+Vudu. Other than sports, which we don’t watch, we don’t seem to be missing anything. Our total fixed cost is about $350 a year, plus maybe $1-200 in digital rentals and TV subscriptions.
I simply can’t make “TV” worth over $100 a month for a giant bundle of channels that don’t ever get watched. If throwing $12-1500 a year at keeping your screen lit is no concern, I’d wonder about what does concern you.
Years ago I used to watch as much TV as most people and in fact had pay TV, at some cost, with dozens of channels for years. When my wife and I separated about 17 years ago I had no TV until the day after 9/11. So I got out of the habit of regular watching. Last night I watched a TV movie, The Eichmann Show about the famous trial. Prior to that I have probably turned the TV on maybe 3 times in the preceding 2 months.
I have a $10 a month Netflix account and probably watch an hour or two a week. I did watch Stranger Things in a couple of days though. I can’t see that I would ever pay more than that.
Huh, so people elect to spend their entertainment dollars differently. Who knew. My family and I like live sports, and watch games quite often. I can’t get those through Hulu, Netflix, etc. What I pay for a month of satellite TV is far less than what it would cost to take my family of 5 to a single Major League Baseball game. We also don’t go to the theatre to watch a movie at $15+ per head. My TV spending sounds like a bargain to me.
I expect it will also vary a lot with family composition, which I don’t think anybody has detailed so far. My mother gets the kiddie channels, not for her, but in case her grandchildren will stay long enough to warrant TV time (the rule for day visits it’s “no TV at grandma’s”). The eldest has outgrown a lot of their material already but there are two others.
Satellite* that includes PVR and PPV services (at around a buck-fiddy per movie). It also comes with a linked mobile streaming service thrown in.
No more than I currently do - around $60/m
Nope.
Which is the default in SA - there are some free-to-air channels but even the tinshack townships have an abundance of satellite dishes (with channel pricing to suit their pockets - like, $8/m for 45 channels)
Cut the cord a few years ago … randomly nailed up an antenna … get ten TV channels (and a radio feed) of which I watch one regularly (the other is NHL and Sunday Night Football on NBC).
I got a library card, so I don’t watch much TV anyway.
Sometimes I’ll sit and watch the snowstorm on ch 66 looking for patterns … one way to meet the Queen of Sweden.
I love college sports. Cutting the cable is going to severely limit my options. For all I get in the realm entertainment options with what I pay for, I’m happy.
We’re edging closer to going totally streaming since TCM just added their streaming app to Amazon Prime. We also have the high-end Hulu, Neflix, and recently added the Brit channel, Acorn.
We regularly watch five channels on Fios (Northeast’s version of Comcast) that don’t stream, so we’re weighing losing these channels vs. paying through the (girl) nutz for 60, 534 channels we *don’t *watch. What I really do like and need through Fios is their uber-high speed wireless.
I’m happy with what I pay for, and how much, and I don’t care at all how anyone else chooses to spend their entertainment dollars. I don’t watch much tv, but that’s a preference, not a positive character trait.
I think we pay 275+ for Comcast, but that includes Internet. Is it worth it? No, not even close, but it’s amazing how far inertia will take you. I’ve always told myself my kids would be bummed, though they don’t watch any of the movie channels, and I’ve noticed my oldest has started using a cousin’s Netflix account to get her fix in.
I’m willing to bet the cable model is dependent upon people like me. It’s like the mass market gym model. How many people can we sign up that don’t use us, but are too lazy/stupid/apathetic to change.
I remember when the newspaper (yeah, really) still attempted to print “TV Listings”*.
They lasted through the first cable (or two?) channels.
I noticed that Bravo would, about 4-5 times a month, run something I’d kinda like to see. So I looked up the cable company. Surprise! Bravo is a Premium channel. You can’t get a Premium channel until you buy the basic AND the “Plus” tier. Only then will we allow you to see Bravo.
Even then, the cable rate would have paid for theater tickets AND dinner. For two.
Yeah, I see how a simple nibble at cable would take you for a ride.
does anyone still attempt to provide a complete list of programming for any given day? Does anyone remember “TV Listings” being printed in the family newspaper?