The Average Cable Bill Has Increased More Than 50 Percent Since 2010 (streamingobserver.com)

According to new research, the average cost households pay for cable is now up to $107 a month -- that's a 50% increase since 2010 when cable bills were $71.24 a month. When compared to last year, it's only a 1% increase, "thanks in large part to increasing fees for things like regional sports licensing and taxes," reports Streaming Observer. From the report: Leichtman Research Group's data was gathered through a telephone survey of 1,152 households from throughout the United States. The research found that 78% of American households still subscribe to a paid TV subscription. That percentage is down from 86% in 2013, 87% in 2008, and 81% in 2004, but 78% is still a pretty high figure given how high cable costs continue to rise each year and how affordable streaming video services are in comparison.

Comments

Re:How Do Poor People Afford Internet?

[cervesaebraciator]

We don't get cable TV along with it.

Re:How Do Poor People Afford Internet?

[jshackney]

Precisely.

There's next to nothing on television I want to watch. Internet service is adequate (and has been since my 2009 DSL line) for my tele-viewing needs.

Re:Life sucks for poor people in the US

[Anonymous Coward]

You'd put more effort into leaving than you would into finding a job? Astounding.

Re: Life sucks for poor people in the US

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps you should stop with the insults and work on improving your work ethic, intelligence, and communication skills. That will rapidly increase your income, although I will doubtless read some impossible outlier sob story about how that is a ridiculous ask.

We are in a booming economy, jobs are there for the taking. You, not the system, are the current failure.

Re:How Do Poor People Afford Internet?

[nehumanuscrede]

Yet, my internet only package is ~$100 / month. ( My router, my cable modem )
What you pay differs VASTLY depending upon where you live and if any competition ( Fios, Google Fiber, AT&T Gigapower, etc ) exists in your neighborhood.

If Google rolled in here tomorrow, Comcast would probably cut my bill in HALF just to keep everyone from jumping ship.

Re:How Do Poor People Afford Internet?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

There's next to nothing on television I want to watch. Internet service is adequate (and has been since my 2009 DSL line) for my tele-viewing needs.

^^^^^^^^^^^This this this

I was browsing at a friend's place who has a cable package of a bazillion channels...I went through about 100 channels and found nothing, literally nothing worth watching or paying for.

I have an Amazon Prime account, and between that and Youtube and PirateBay I don't see the need to buy cable. As Newton C. Minnow said waaaaaay back in 1961:

"But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland."

And nothing has changed except the wasteland is far bigger. Yippee.

Internet Only

[KalvinB]

The issue is bundling. They want you to buy more and more services so of course the bill goes up.

I have only internet service with the local cable provider. It's $90 a month for static IP and 25Mbit or so both ways. Years ago I was paying $70 a month for 256K both ways. Toss in Netflix and HBO NOW and it's over 100 a month for internet and TV.

The only reason people still pay for cable TV is sports. If you don't care about sports, it's not hard to get your bills down. The only necessary service is an internet connection. Everything else is a luxury.

Re:How Do Poor People Afford Internet?

[Oswald McWeany]

We don't get cable TV along with it.

The problem with just internet (I'm one of those with just internet), is that the cost to have just internet has quadrupled in price over the same time period too.

I pay more for just internet than I paid for internet and cable back in 2010 (which is about when I cut out cable TV completely). If you're in an area with competition for broadband you have a little flexibility- for the majority of America living in cable monopolies- cost to get internet is ridiculously high for poor service.