Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Another Million Subscribers Cut the Pay TV Cord Last Quarter (dslreports.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the shocking-news dept.

A report from FierceCable says that a million more U.S. pay TV subscribers cut the TV cord last quarter. "Only five of the seven biggest pay TV providers have released their third quarter subscriber data, but collectively these companies saw a net loss of 632,000 pay TV subscribers during the period (385,000 for AT&T and DirecTV, 125,000 for Comcast, 104,000 for Charter, 18.000 for Verizon FiOS TV)," reports DSLReports. "Dish has yet to report its own cord cutting tallies, but the company is again expected to be among the hardest hit due to a high level of retransmission fee feuds and a lack of broadband bundles."

22 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. They could avoid it.... by registrations_suck · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They could avoid it if TV didn't suck.

    1. Re:They could avoid it.... by registrations_suck · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I ditched cable in 2009 - do not miss it at all. Don't even have Netflix, Hulu, or any other subscriptions. If I want to watch a movie, I'll rent it on Vudu, or Apple Store, or even Amazon. No need to "subscribe" to any kind of movie or TV service.

    2. Re:They could avoid it.... by ark1 · · Score: 2

      They could avoid it if only they can kill net neutrality and turn Internet into another "package" based service like cable.

    3. Re:They could avoid it.... by 24-bit+Voxel · · Score: 2

      That is the real issue. It was $20/month for basic in the 90's, it's crazy how much more it costs now. Funny too because now that I'm done with TV I don't really care what they offer at any price.

    4. Re:They could avoid it.... by Bender+Unit+22 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I fell the same. After a few years without TV, I don't want it, even if it was for free.

    5. Re:They could avoid it.... by slashrio · · Score: 3, Interesting

      And they will, because they can.

      --
      "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
    6. Re:They could avoid it.... by registrations_suck · · Score: 2

      in a post below.

      What that post reveals is that you have no fucking clue what you're talking about, when you say that TV "sucks".

      Sure I do. It's simply unable to compete for my time because it is uninteresting enough to do so. Besides the basic cost - they tack on all kinds of "fees" and "taxes" that contribute to the suck. Then there is the "weekly model" that sucks. I don't want to watch one show a week. If I am interested in the show, put it all up at once. You just don't get that from TV. So fuck them. Combine that with changing the time on shows, cancelling shows that I AM interested in and I just have no incentive to get sucked into watching. Aside from all of that - then there are the plots. I'm just not interested in portrayals of hackers, or super heros, drug dealers with cancer, or propaganda pieces. It's just not interesting to me. It's just not. And that's BEFORE factoring in commercials. THEN you factor in what else is competing for my time. I get home at 5pm, typically. The next three hours are spent playing with my kid and making/eating dinner and cleaning up afterward. So that's 8pm. I go to bed at 10pm. So that means there are, roughly speaking, 2 hours per day of "free time" Monday through Friday, that I have to do everything else I want to do. TV is simply not compelling enough to compete for that time. In other words, it sucks. If it didn't suck so much, it WOULD compete for that time - successfully. Weekends....8 hours of sleep, 3 hours of eating, shitting, bathing, etc. - gives 13 hours for everything else. I'd estimate at least 5 for the kid, so you're down to 8 hours/day. I'd estimate at least 3 hours of that is burned on going to the grocery store, gas station, errands or other necessary things. So that puts me down to 5 hours/day for everything else I need or want to do....or 10 hours for the weekend. Out of that 10 hours, I have to do house projects or maintenance, yard projects or maintenance, vehicle projects or maintenance - and entertainment and activities. Sometimes, I will use some of that to watch a movie. I can get in, get out, and move on. A TV show? Just don't want to get sucked into that. I'm sorry you can't appreciate that other people may have opinions that differ from yours, and yet may be completely valid.

  2. At some point, the frog jumps by speedlaw · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Cable bill..hey, cable TV...no commercials.... OK.. Broadband better than DSL ? OK. TV too, OK. Feed the whole house. CableCo scrambles all signals "for piracy". You need to rent a box for $8 per month per TV and suffer an egregious Guide. Three TV sets. Commercial load making any non DVR watching impossible. Send another new bill. Now, $7 per month "Sports Fee". Don't watch or subscribe to any sports. ESPN needs my money ? They are not even a government....so $8x3x12 + $7x12. = $374 You just boosted me a car payment for absolutely nothing ?

    1. Re:At some point, the frog jumps by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 2

      You only need to rent a CableCard from your provider for the main unit(s).

      Easier said than done. Who hasn't managed to get themselves an exemption when they moved to SDV? You'll get to rent a tuning adapter for each tuner in that TiVo.

      I have a TiVo Bolt with 4 tuners. It uses one multi-channel CableCard and *one* tuning adapter (connected via USB).

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  3. And One by turkeydance · · Score: 3, Interesting

    we cut last month. our TWC bill was doubled by Spectrum for the same service. watched the World Series online.

    1. Re:And One by datavirtue · · Score: 4, Funny

      [Laughs heartily] You are SOOO cute! The World Series happens in America bitch. Greatest country in the United States.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
  4. Simple economics.... by Rick+Zeman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ....says that if you lose market share you cut prices to try and regain it. They will no doubt raise prices to try and keep revenue the same...thus driving off even more customers.

    1. Re:Simple economics.... by bobbied · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Ah, the simple logic of the cable company... Such refreshing stupidity..

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    2. Re:Simple economics.... by toonces33 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The problem is that they are being squeezed by the content providers on the other end. You want to carry the XYZ channel? That will cost you more per subscriber now. So to a degree, the cable companies are caught in the middle. I would like to see someone offer a-la-carte without all kinds of expensive junk being added on.

  5. Raises hand by Snotnose · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Had Uverse for years, they kept trying to charge me $140/month. Every fricken year I called them and said "Um, yeah, no bang for the buck here" and got my monthly bill down to under $100. This year? They jacked my rate to $160/month, called them a few weeks ago and the best they could offer was $140. Um, how about no. Actually, how about "fuck no, you greedy assholes".

    Lost my cable TV 2 days ago, we'll see how it goes, but I'm looking into Kodi boxes and DVDs from the library. I miss the news, the Chargers went to LA last year so fuck them, this will be interesting.

    What was really irritating? AT&T was sending flyers to my house advertising the same package I had at $160 for $50/month if I got directTV. But I don't have a south facing place to put an antenna, plus I like online multiplayer games where ping matters. Cox was advertising the same package for $80/month. I decided to bite the bullet and cut the cord instead of getting a new DVR/install.

    1. Re:Raises hand by barrywalker · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Fuck. Television. You don't need it. Cut the cord and don't look back. I don't remember when I last had cable and don't miss that shit a bit. When I want to watch something, I use Apple TV, Netflix or Amazon, but honestly, I don't watch TV much anymore. It's all shit anyway.

    2. Re:Raises hand by bobbied · · Score: 3

      Yea, Verizon did the same routine with me...

      Send out advertisements advertising a really good rate, confirmed it on their website, called when my "contract" term was up and guess what? The advertised rates are both largely deceptive (because they add all sorts of "necessary fees" that nearly double the actual costs) and because I'm an existing customer (of over 10 full years now), the advertised rate is not available to me. It's only for new customers....

      So, you are going to charge an established paying customer, who's never missed a payment in 10 years and won't require you to buy and/or configure anything MORE than a new customer that's going to cost you money to set up?

      The brilliance of this was breathtaking.... I was happy to take my business elsewhere and lucky that I could...

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    3. Re:Raises hand by omnichad · · Score: 2

      I feel like cable wouldn't even have so many cord cutters if they just charged everyone the advertised prices - even the loyal customers. Or even just consistently advertised the actual prices (without bundles).

    4. Re:Raises hand by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 2

      > I cannot imagine why anyone spends hours a day watching TV,

      Because some people would rather watch someone's else fake life then live their own real one. That would entail they would have to get off their ass and DO something (productive) like learn to play a musical instrument, read a book, etc.

      Keeping up with the KarTrashians is exactly the problem with society. You have a generation of sheeple instead of leaders.

    5. Re:Raises hand by eskayp · · Score: 3, Insightful

      We are the people, and the sheep to be sheared.
      Corporations and lobbyists pay politicians big bucks.
      The pols then invite the CEOs and lobbyists to write the rules and laws that govern their industry.
      And we sheep keep electing those politicians because of some smokescreen wedge issue.
      Today the smoke is even murkier with 'alternative facts' and 'truthiness' being accepted as reality.
      Evidently critical thinking is beyond sheeps' ability.
      When we sheep vote based on listening to our gut one has to wonder where our heads are.

      --
      I didn't desert Windows; Windows deserted me: BSOD
  6. Cut the cord by srwood · · Score: 2

    Cut the cord a year ago. Tablo streaming and DVR OTA TV to four screens and mobile devices. Playstation Vue for sports and Netflix. Haven't missed cable. Saving $1300/yr.

  7. And Yet by unixcorn · · Score: 2

    With all the cord cutting, myself included, I don't understand why more content providers aren't breaking with tradition (or contracts) and offering their programming via streaming. For example, I want my national news via my Roku box. I checked with Fox News (don't judge me) and the only way I can stream their content is with an account like DirecTV or one of the cable providers. It's a dying industry and content providers really need to either offer themselves al-a-cart or figure out a way to group together on their own. I won't be paying for 100 channels of infomercials or crap I don't watch anymore just to have news and weather. I am guessing most others commenting here feel the same.