Electronics

[teganslaw]

We cut Frontier cable today and will be going with phone and internet only. Watching local TV and youtube. That will cut the monthly cost in half. We probably won't do streaming services.

The change is that Frontier is no longer installing cable for new customers. They will change or upgrade for existing customers, but once you quit cable with them you won't be able to get it back. They are still setting up internet and phone service. 

We don't have to return TV equipment, either.  They said to just put the box and accessories out for recycling. They don't need the equipment back since they don't do cable anymore. With so many people cutting cable, it wasn't profitable for Frontier to keep it.

I wonder how soon other companies will go the same way. 

[ValuSkr]

Yes, I wonder if that's the wave of the future for cable companies, especially smaller ones.  I've read they don't actually make much money on TV these days since content providers charge so much.  Larger companies, like Comcast / Xfinity, produce a lot of their own content and might be in a better position to hang onto TV.  They can also negotiate better rates [with content providers] due to their size.

I doubt anyone will shed a tear for cable companies but it's particularly hard for older people, like my parents in their upper 80's, to have to continually learn new ways to watch TV, find TV listings, etc.

[gardenman]

Cable TV was a big moneymaker back in the days when there were limited channels available and lots of people wanting to be on systems. Networks would pay cable systems to carry their channels. It was the glory days of the cable TV industry.

Then the folks behind MTV decided they weren't paying cable companies any longer to carry MTV, and not only that, they wanted to be paid to produce MTV for the cable companies. That started the "I want my MTV" campaign and flipped the industry. With digital cable boxes becoming mainstream there was no dearth of channels and filling them all became more of a challenge for cable providers.

When cable companies agreed to pay MTV to air their programming, then everyone else wanted to be paid also and the industry started down a path of diminishing returns. Instead of money coming in from everyone, they now had money going out to content providers and found themselves splitting ad revenue also. The only way to make up the lost revenue was by raising the price for consumers. That was okay for a bit, but as prices rose, consumers started looking for alternatives. And along came streaming services providing that alternative.

Cable TV is a dying dinosaur these days. Networks hold the cable/satellite TV companies hostage wanting more money per viewer and more ad sharing. Channels disappear for days/weeks while new contracts are hammered out and cable subscribers find alternatives.

[FatCatinCT]

Frontier here in my area is installing fiber optic cable everywhere and the price is a steal!  I live in a private community a bit off the beaten path with underground utilities so it will be awhile before we are hooked up but they are hooking up.  In the interim, I signed on with Cox for another two years and can't wait to be able to have the fiber optic.