Comcast, Dish, AT&T to raise TV prices to counter cord cutting

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Another year, another increase to your monthly pay-TV bill.

Giants including Comcast Corp., Dish Network Corp. and AT&T Inc.’s DirecTV plan to raise rates again in the new year, a move that could boost revenue but risks alienating subscribers who have been ditching their traditional TV subscriptions in record numbers.

Cable and satellite providers are hoping to squeeze more money from consumers who remain loyal to their packages with hundreds of channels, Philip Cusick, a JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst, said in a note this week, even though “this strategy could accelerate video sub declines.”

It’s common for pay-TV providers to raise prices in the new year. They are passing on the rising costs they pay to carry networks like CBS and ABC, as well as regional sports channels like the YES Network, which are shelling out more and more for sports broadcast rights.

The latest price increases come as cord cutting accelerates. In the third quarter, the TV industry saw its largest ever rate of decline, with subscribers shrinking by 3.7 percent, according to MoffettNathanson LLC. Consumers are dropping traditional TV for lower-cost online options like Netflix Inc. and slimmer TV options from Hulu and YouTube.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/comcast-dish-atandt-to-raise-tv-prices-to-counter-cord-cutting/ar-BBRO594

Guess they want even more people to cut the cord.

[safeinOhio]

1. If they want more subscribers

Screw their packages and lets us pick our own channels.

[A HERETIC I AM]

14. The So-called "A La Carte" idea has been floated for years...

And yet, the big players ignore what their customers truly want.

I think it's because the evangelicals realize they won't get their mythmaking on TV if they can't mandatorily be included.

I watch 10 different channels, MAX! I don't need the Home Shopping Networks and I sure as hell don't need Benny Hinn and Joel Fucking Osteen.

[safeinOhio]

15. 563 channels and

nothing on.

[mr_lebowski]

27. I say Human Touch and Lucky Town, the Boss's dual 1992 releases are underrated ...

Lotta great stuff on both records ...

[sweetloukillbot]

28. The cable companies are in a squeeze between the networks and consumers

Consumers want a'la carte. Cable companies don't want to carry channels that they have to pay for that nobody watches since they don't make ad money on them. But the Viacoms and such bundle the unpopular channels with popular ones - you want Cartoon Network, you have to get HGTV too. That sort of thing. And since there are only about 10 channels that anyone wants, they force you to carry the garbage as well. And viewership is down pretty much across the board (ESPN is a big exception), so the stations aren't making money from ads, so they raise the rate they charge the cable companies, and if the companies don't agree, they go dark with the station and run messages blaming the cable company for taking away The Walking Dead or whatever.

The company I work for wants out of the Cable TV business badly, we don't make any money, it consumes bandwidth we could be using to increase speeds on our Internet service, and we're at the mercy of these rebroadcast agreements. We're trying to consciously brand ourselves away from TV, but in some of the places we service, us and Dish are the only options.

I'm not saying the cable companies are all innocent, but when it comes to broadcast choices and the cost of your cable TV, that's mostly on the big media conglomerates.

[crazycatlady]

32. it is the sports channels that add to the bill the most

If I were the powers that be, I'd have ESPN and the others as a separate 'sports package' for those who want to pay extra for live sports.

ETA cut the cord in 2014. Don't miss it. Netflix and AMazon Prime are fine for me.

[sweetloukillbot]

35. Yeah "Sports Surcharge"

That's how they're all packaging the rate increase for ESPN and FSN. Because those are the only networks that are increasing viewership and the Cable Companies can make money off, they are able to get away with raising rates with minimal fuss from the Cable Companies. Of course it's also on the backs of consumers who DON'T watch sports but still have to pay for it...

[highplainsdem]

47. That's what I've heard, too, though they'll even squabble with local network affiliates, and

sometimes offer their subscribers a less-popular natwork affiliate in the area, with less popular local news, if they can get it for a lower price than a more popular affiliate with the same network.

[sweetloukillbot]

53. Yep

My company has gone through that a lot w/ the local affiliates as well. I think the FCC loosened retransmission requirements and they're also trying to get more money as ad revenues drop. So while the customer used to be able to get the NBC affliates from, say, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, now they can only get one, and it's going to be the cheaper or more local one (and usually the less popular) as the cable provider needs to meet FCC requirements to provide over-the-air "local" stations.

I love the company I work for, and think they do a pretty good job, considering, but man I can't wait till we can get out of the Cable TV business permanently.

[Blue_true]

41. I was about to post the very same thing.

Modern technology allows them to just provide local channels and then allow customers to customize their cable selections. I was helping my oldest brother change his cable packages and knowing what he likes to watch and looking over the packages, I asked the guy that was changing his cable whether my brother could add just one channel to a certain package, I got a flat no. I then told him that modern video streaming should allow that to stream custom feeds into every home.

I believe that cable companies are so locked into outdated delivery models that they can't see that those models are killing them.

[Sherman A1]

2. I will be studying my options over the next year

One more year on my introductory package with spectrum. Ditched AT$T last Spring.

[Takket]

3. i'm about to cut the cord and this will make the decision for me.......

Sling Tv offers actual channels with programming people want to watch for less than half of AT&T who offer the same channels but justify charging more by giving you access to "over 200 channels" that 5 people probably ever watch.

[underpants]

34. Went to Sling over a year ago

We add channels as needed and the drop them. The World Cup for instance.

Our cable bill is $25/month. With apps we have HBO Netflix Hulu and Amazon Prime. Okay there's some more expense but well worth it.

[BSdetect]

4. I'm stuck till Dec with Crapcast but already use other options anyway.

[pecosbob]

5. Not on me, he he he

[rusty fender]

6. When I had Comcast cable

they increased their price every month!

I bought an antenna and am happy I cut the cord

[Bleacher Creature]

7. I would cut the cord in a nanosecond if I had a decent internet option.

My only choice seems to be Comcast or Verizon.

[babylonsister]

13. I'm a

tech moron. What are alternatives to wifi without cable? I'd love to drop my expensive cable but my ignorance is preventing me.

[highplainsdem]

16. I think elocs is referring to cable TV, not cable internet. You do need a decent ISP for options

like Sling and Hulu and YouTube TV.

Can you save much by changing your cable from a TV/internet (and maybe phone) bundle to internet alone?

[babylonsister]

17. Thank you, I never thought of that.

I can try. That should at least cut my bill in half. I am so fed up with Centrum cranking my bill yearly. I tried to minimize the channels I pay for and don't watch, they wouldn't let me, so that's another reason I want out. Again, thanks!

[sweetloukillbot]

31. Dropping Cable TV should lower your bill significantly

Internet phone is dirt cheap, but if you live somewhere with sketchy Internet, you'll lose your phone whenever the cable goes out.
The other thing to consider is that the cable channels have wised up to people cutting the cord, and often require cable subscriptions to stream their programming as well. Some cable companies do offer streaming TV plans that are cheaper than cable TV plans, however. And some of the stations offer subscriptions directly (or through Amazon).

[highplainsdem]

36. I know Spectrum will offer a la carte TV Choice plans for streaming a limited number of channels to

their internet customers who aren't currently getting regular Spectrum TV, but I don't know of any other cable providers doing that now. Do you know of any others?

[sweetloukillbot]

39. I believe Cox does

They've tried to offer it to me, but I have streaming access to everything I want (except Starz) through work.

[highplainsdem]

9. A good indoor HDTV antenna should pull in stations within a 60 mile radius, for a typical cost

Last edited Sat Jan 5, 2019, 01:36 AM - Edit history (2)

of $50 or less. That will bring in the major networks, often multiple sources for them, with lots of subchannels. And with an indoor antenna you don't have to worry about weather interfering with the signal.

If you want cable news channels live, Sling, Hulu Live and YouTube TV are very affordable options (each about $40/mo) that give you lots of other cable, and some local, channels as well.

Roku -- with some options under $30 for that one-time investment -- includes CBSN, along with ABC News and NBC News (including MSNBC) clips and some live coverage. Along with Sky News Live, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Reuters, etc. NewsOn, on Roku, gets you news from local TV stations all over the country. Roku also makes it easy to watch YouTube on your TV. The ABC and NBC channels on Roku include back episodes of current shows, if you missed any (for CBS, you need to pay for All Access), which can substitute to some extent for cable's on-demand offerings.

Netflix is well worth the low price, too.

[madinmaryland]

38. Don't forget about internet access that will cost u $125-150/mo.

[sweetloukillbot]

40. You should be able to get good Internet speed for under $100

Unless you are a hardcore gamer, are running a Twitch stream, or have 10 people all trying to stream at once, you don't really need more than 100, maybe not even more than 50mbps.
I know the companies try to upsell on speed when people have connectivity issues, but usually those are problems more with older equipment or bad wifi coverage.

[highplainsdem]

43. Agree. Most people don't need a gigabit. But you can sometimes get that for less that $100.

See the prices listed here (though this article is almost a year old):

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/gig-speed-internet,review-5134.html

[sweetloukillbot]

45. Right now I'm paying 97 for 300x30

It was a 150x15 plan, but they doubled it and upped the rate $5 this month. The next lowest was 50x5 which wasn't enough for my needs. I think they may have doubled that one as well though, and I could probably get by with 100x10. It's only like a $10 difference though...

[sweetloukillbot]

46. I wonder if all of those are dedicated Gig speeds

I'm seeing several DSL providers, I doubt they're able to maintain gigabit speeds all the way down their pipe.
Google sounded really good when it was being rolled out, but it seems to have fizzled - they were going to move into Phoenix but it ended up getting cancelled.

[NickB79]

51. I pay $50/mo for 15 Mbps

And it's more than sufficient for streaming, downloading and gaming.

A fiber-optic 1 Gbps line was just installed thru my yard this fall; they want $90/mo. I'll hold off on that for now.

[SamKnause]

10. Their price gouging is why I no longer use any of their services.

[colsohlibgal]

11. No surprise

Doesn’t bother me that much, I get everything but extra soccer and extra foreign language channels. I mostly watch a small portion of them but not always.

[UTUSN]

12. Well, there goes me - been a Dish prisoner for 20+ years, too lazy to research & switch

Gonna rely on DU/Lounge wiseguys to steer me elsewhere

[customerserviceguy]

18. I'm pretty lucky

Our HOA negotiated a bulk rate with Spectrum, and we pay about $41 a month for cable, and internet, too. The only catch is that you have to pay for the year upfront, but still, that's a helluva deal.

[TheBlackAdder]

22. Get a VPN like PIA, just in case the HOA has access to your internet activity.

.

There might be some agreement or clause that they can obtain it to ensure a safe neighborhood.

.

[customerserviceguy]

23. I have a degree in computer network administration

and I will NOT use the wireless router provided by Spectrum. Besides, I don't surf to a lot of places that others might find objectionable. Sports, news, here, and genealogy websites is pretty much it.

[mr_lebowski]

29. Why would it matter what wireless router you use?

Spectrum knows your internet use because they're your ISP ... not because your using (or not) the wireless router they provided ...

[Nonhlanhla]

19. We switched to streaming only years ago

and we do not miss cable at all. As someone else said, hundreds of channels and nothing on. We invested in some smart TVs and stream whatever we want.

[Liberal In Texas]

20. Roku and an antenna.

That is all.

[customerserviceguy]

25. Yep

Did that while living in NY for the last several years before moving to SC and finding really great cable/internet rates negotiated by my HOA.

Antenna doesn't work well in my new neighborhood, I tried that for quite a few months, and couldn't get more than a handful of channels.

[Liberal In Texas]

48. Antenna doesn't work well?

Tried a different one or a different configuration? We don't watch a lot of over the air channels. The programming is crap. The only time we need OTA is during a storm or something. To check local news. But I have 2 TVs each with one of those flat antenna things I got at Lowe's or someplace and they work just fine. And they're inside the house. You might try an outside antenna. Still cheaper than the bloody cable company.

What you have to remember is that now and then you have to re-scan for the channels. I know, it's a pain. But for some reason the new digital signals drift or something and you have to re-scan to get the channel at all. I was no longer getting channel 5 (NBC affiliate) the other day. Did a res-can, and voila, good as gold.

Unless you're out in the middle of nowhere, an antenna should do just fine.

[highplainsdem]

33. Yep - see reply 9. Btw, new Roku devices now include a month of free YouTube TV.

Which otherwise costs more than the cheapest Roku player currently available.

[Liberal In Texas]

49. That was a good post. n/t

[TheBlackAdder]

21. I resubscribed to Verizon for 2 years, the month after, they made Cinemax a $10 option.

.

I paid for the HD Extreme package, and then they pulled Cinemax. I said to myself, fuck it. No Cinemax.

.

[KO_ Stradivarius]

24. Yep, plan on doing this in September.

Had Comcast for basic cable and Internet for years and the costs started getting ridiculous.
Mind you, I probably watch a grand total of 4 hours of TV every week, and should have
cut the cable ages ago, but I took the position that it's better to have and not need (want)
it, that need (want), it and not have it.

Then last year an RCN sales rep came around offering me a better deal. I knew at the time
that it was a scam in the long run, but I signed up for the 'introductory/new subscriber' offering
anyways.

Then I got my first bill which was $40.00 more per month than what I was expecting.
Turns out the shafting I got was for additional fees, service charges and taxes... fuck that!
Bugging me even more was that roughly half the charges/tax was for sports programing
and I don't even watch or give a fuck about sports.

I contacted them and renegotiated a better deal (which will expire in September), and now I'm
paying $90.00 a month for basic cable, 500mbs for Internet, phone service and free HBO for a year
(Have to watch my final season of 'Game of Thrones' ).

Anyhow, I have an older 'Smart TV', Amazon Prime (think movies), and a Roku.
I still have to sort out what I like, what I might need, calculate what works best for me, etc.

Bottom line is that come September, adios cable.

[flyingfysh]

30. I have been an RCN subscriber for a very long time

I am completely happy with them. In my area (Somerville MA) we have the unusual situation that the town is completely wired for both RCN and Comcast. So of course I chose RCN.

[KO_ Stradivarius]

37. We're practicaly next door neighbors then

I'm currently living in Watertown for the past 8 years. Lived in Mefuah and Slummerville before that...
nice place on Powderhouse Blvd. not far from Tufts, but then the 3 decker went condo.

I still visit/frequent the old neighborhood every now and then (mostly Davis Square), and it has changed
a bit since I lived there, not for the worse mind you, but more like 'what the fuck happened to so and so?'
'What the fuck is this place doing here? It wasn't here last time'.

[flyingfysh]

42. Somerville is changing a lot

Once a group of us gathered near the Powderhouse with Elizabeth Warren to go campaigning locally for her first Senate campaign.

Rent levels are going up a lot. But it doesn't bother me. my wife and I own a large house downhill from City Hall, and just yards away from the future T station at Gilman Square. The house across the street was converted to two condos, and the two together would cost about 10 times what we paid for the house a long time ago. We are within walking distance of the building where Barack Obama rented a basement apartment while he was at Harvard Law School.

The tracks are right behind my house, and sometimes construction continues through the night. We don't mind, because it will be so nice when it is done. I will be able to walk a few yards, hop on the T, and get off at the Museum of Fine Arts or at the corner of Boston Common. Can't beat that.

I don't know if this was true when you were here, but Somerville has a *lot" of festivals. Some of them are Art Beat, "Honk" (where a bunch of amateur bands come from elsewhere and play whatever, and also Fluff Fest, because Marshmallow Fluff was invented here. The guy who wrote "Monster Mash" also lived here. There are several others. There are various running races throughout the year, sometimes streets are closed for those.

Somehow, Somerville has become a "hip" area to live in, and it is still cheaper than Cambridge.

[stopbush]

26. We dropped Direct TV last month when my bill for January

went up to $136 a month from the $75 we had been paying.

Went with YouTube TV with their Showtime package - $47 a month. No contract. We get all the local network channels, plus MSNBC, CNN, ESPN, Disney, Tnt, tbs, amc etc. We have Netflix and Amazon Prime. YTTV allows 3 TV users at once, while Sling allows only one.

Not missing cable at all.

[hunter]

44. We've quit traditional television entirely.

We have an inexpensive medium speed DSL connection and the least expensive Netflix subscription. I find DVDs in thrift stores, or rent them from Redbox.

No cable, no satellite, no broadcast, and best of all, NO COMMERCIALS!

We've been without traditional television for many years now and I've become entirely intolerant of any advertising that moves or makes noise on television or in my web browser.

I think once you've quit traditional television for a few months you never go back.

[Iwasthere]

50. 40 bucks a month plus prime and we have Everything

With two firesticks with Amazon we can access virtually all sports, news, tv shows and current movies, as well as archived movies back to the beginning of film. Kodi

[democratisphere]

52. Streaming services will soon replace the major cable system

providers. Their insatiable greed will be their demise!