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The Problem With Cable Is Television
Saul Hansell writes in the NY Times about how various services offered by cable companies affect their spending and their revenue. As it turns out, a lot of the cost increases and investment needs are coming from television and video services rather than internet connectivity. The scramble for high-def and rising licensing fees for programming seem to be the biggest headaches for Comcast and Time Warner right now. Quoting:
"By all accounts, Web video is not currently having any effect on the businesses of the cable companies. Market share is moving among cable, satellite and telephone companies, but the overall number of people subscribing to some sort of pay TV service is rising. (The government's switch to digital over-the-air broadcasts is providing a small stimulus to cable companies.) However, if you remember, it took several years before music labels started to feel any pain from downloads. As the sour economy and the Web start putting more pressure on the cable companies, they may be forced to consider breaking up the big bundles of channels they now insist that consumers buy and instead offer individual channels or smaller groups of channels on an à la carte basis."
Come on now, I love watching Infomercials!
Well, if that's the case then you're gonna love my nuts!
I don't know if you noticed, but Discovery and History stopped showing Discovery and History about 5 years ago. If there's a market for that sort of thing, no one is selling it.
(That said, I, like most of the reasonably affluent computer technicians in the room, would pay.)
Fascinating commentary that would carry more impact if you weren't an AC!
Brett
Cable set to the side. Forcing me to pay taxes and then using those taxes to benefit someone else is theft. Theft from me and my family. You think taxes are good, then defend taxes, don't dispute that they are theft though. If I stuck a gun in your face and demanded 20% of your money it would be armed robbery. When the government does it, it is called taxation. And I personally could not care any less than I do now, (zero), if Billy-Joe Bob gets anew heart or not. He could die before I walked across the road and pissed on him if that was all he needed. I also don't care if your mewling brats get an education or if your parents have to eat roadkill. Taking my money to benefit you and yours is fucking wrong,immoral and exactly what the founders of the USA were dead set against.
Nice strawman there ignorant whatever. Facts are no one said they would not support toll road, local fee based fire departments and local fee based police departments. I might even agree it is a good idea to maybe pay a 5% tax on gross income to support fire departments and police forces. But when you are taking my money to give to people in the ghetto to have 5,6 or more babies. Taking it and giving it to illegal aliens so they can feed their ever increasing broods of children. Taking it and giving it to the person who contributed the most to your campaign. Or as in my hometown, taking it and giving it to two of the wealthiest individuals around here, so they can build themselves a baseball stadium and make even more money, it is fucking wrong. Your heart being bad and you needing a transplant is not my problem, nor is it societies problem. It is your problem. Fucking grow up and stop looking for the government to take the place of mommy and daddy.And while you are at it, get out of your mom's basement and get your own place, with money you earned and see if your attitude about taxes don't change.