Cord cutters

More people are moving to streaming or other services for their tv entertainment and news. There's various reasons for this such as cost, freedom of choice, wanting to stick it to the cable companies, and so forth. Companies such as Netflix, which got their start by renting dvd's by mail, offer on demand services, live tv, and even produce original series. All you need is an adequate internet service and ideally dual band. Throw in a decent antenna for the local channels and you're set.

Despite this, most of the major tv companies are sticking with the old model. While there is undeniable convenience to having traditional cable or satellite, the fact is the market is changing. But how much does it matter?

Percentage of households without traditional subscriptions: (I removed the link as a pay wall that wasn't there before came up. in short, for 2014 the percentage was just over 18%. the prediction for the end of this year is for about 24%.)

As an alternative view to what's suggested above (number of people planning to cut has slightly decreased from last year) https://www.mediapost.com/publicati...le-like-streaming-yet-cord-cutting-drops.html

This guy says that cable companies will be fine for the foreseeable future so long as they remain focused on selling "good products to good customers" https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/26/for...er-if-broadband-is-the-future.html?yptr=yahoo


I cut the cord myself a couple of years ago, and I would have done it sooner if it weren't for the hostile aversion to doing so in my household. My reason was that I was tired of paying so much for something that I don't watch much of. I also didn't like playing the rate hike game. While I sometimes miss having dvr I am mostly happy with the streaming services that I use. It does mean that I'm more dependent on having a stable internet connection though.

In my opinion, the rise of streaming is much like the advent of local delivery services many decades ago. Some feared for the future of the trucking industry. There were arguments for passing laws to limit these new services. In the long run though, it worked out. I think that it will be the same with cable tv. It's not going anywhere, so long as they remain relevant to their core base and pay attention to the changing demands of the market. Services like Netflix, Amazon video, and Directv Now will continue to grow and improve. They will add value to the tv industry by filling important niches without taking over completely.