NFT: I still see major flaws with Cord Cutting

And that will likely never happen. You’ll have to bundle different services to get everything you want.

Cord cutting is not really about price, in my opinion. It’s about convenience and options.

In comment 14503102 Ben in Tampa said:

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And that will likely never happen. You’ll have to bundle different services to get everything you want. Cord cutting is not really about price, in my opinion. It’s about convenience and options.

It's both. We went from spending well over $100 per month on TV to now under $20.

Sean, no one in my family watches ABC or ESPN. But we can get ABC via our HD antenna (one-time installation cost). I haven't missed ESPN at all. And when it is on in the gym, it seems to have gotten even worse.

I can't comment on SNY/MSG as we don't get those and never really watched them.

If you are trying to replicate your TV package you will pay as much or more, so that shouldn’t be the goal.

You are getting convenience and flexibility. I’m not willing to drop cable until Disney+ is out because of my child. But that’s happening in a few months which times nicely with me moving. So between Netflix, Disney and one of the services to get 40/50 channels I’ll be covered for the most part.

The Giants are on MNF twice this upcoming season. What is your work around for that?

In comment 14503105 UConn4523 said:

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If you are trying to replicate your TV package you will pay as much or more, so that shouldn’t be the goal. You are getting convenience and flexibility. I’m not willing to drop cable until Disney+ is out because of my child. But that’s happening in a few months which times nicely with me moving. So between Netflix, Disney and one of the services to get 40/50 channels I’ll be covered for the most part.

I recently saw a YouTube video how current and new streaming services are trying to lock down exclusive content and cannibalizing each other. For example, I guess that two of the most popular streaming shows out there are Seinfeld and Friends. So with NBC coming out with their new service, they are going to take that away from (I think it was Hulu). If they think most Americans are going to sign up for 4, 5, 6 streaming services, I think they are crazy. How many people are going to pay a monthly fee to watch Seinfeld reruns?

That doesn't really bother me. The idea of paying for television - most of it truly awful - is so appalling that I pick just a couple tv things I want to have and don't worry about the rest. I live too far out to receive tv on an antenna so we just get pbs, and sling for my wife's movie channel (TCM I think?). As a bonus it also gives me yankee games though I catch those more often on radio while I'm doing other things. During football season months I grit my teeth and pay for another service that has the giants games. But I'm always on the lookout for a way to eliminate that.

In comment 14503108 Sean said:

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The Giants are on MNF twice this upcoming season. What is your work around for that?

Combination of solutions... I do have NFL Game Pass but as you know that is delayed. If I can't find it online to stream, my brother-in-law lives up the street and I watch it at his house. The Game Pass is where I really break down the film because it is so easy to re-watch with the various options they provide.

In comment 14503108 Sean said:

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The Giants are on MNF twice this upcoming season. What is your work around for that?

Just sign up for something like Sling Orange which has ESPN and its $25 per month. Do that for the 2 Giants games.

In comment 14503108 Sean said:

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The Giants are on MNF twice this upcoming season. What is your work around for that?

Two trips to the bar to watch a game...

There are a lot of guys here who live in Florida or some other place that does not get ALL of the Giants games. So, for two weeks out of this season he would have the same issue.

I am planning to move to FL in the next couple of years. I know Miller's Ale House (just one example) has all of the games on their TVs. In fact, I remember being at one location while away on business and there was a whole crew of Giants fans occupying some tables by the TV where our game was being played.

In comment 14503104 Eric from BBI said:

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Sean, no one in my family watches ABC or ESPN. But we can get ABC via our HD antenna (one-time installation cost). I haven't missed ESPN at all. And when it is on in the gym, it seems to have gotten even worse.

Same feeling here. The antenna gets you all your televised games minus ESPN and Thursday night, both of which I just don't give two shits about these days. And tbh the only football I've bothered to watch these past few years are Giants games and college football via free Reddit streams.

All of our screen viewing is movies and binging shows.

When we did this, I worried most about the kids, but my kids (and the friends they know) don't watch TV. They watch everything online.

They have no concept of network TV at all. It's completely foreign to them. Same with the news. All of the kids seem to know what is going on in the world (domestically and internationally) but no one watches "the news"... they get it from their devices. Different world.

But as pointed out above, there is no "perfect" solution. It's a tradeoff.

Personally, we found out we really didn't miss all of that much. Most of what we watch we can stream online. My biggest pet peeve is that the streaming services really don't offer the bulk of older movies out there (unless you pay for it, like on Amazon Prime). So for example, say you're interested in a cheesy 1970s disaster film like the Towering Inferno or Earthquake. You would think those films would be available on Amazon Prime or Hulu for free. So you really have to keep checking back with the "recently added" areas.

Every once in a while, we have to bite the bullet and pay extra for something we couldn't see. For example, we subscribed to HBO for two months through Roku to see Game of Thrones. When it was done, we ended the subscription. While we had HBO, I couldn't find much of anything to justify keeping it. They had about 3-4 movies that I watched and then I couldn't find anything else. So much of it is personal preference and cost-benefit.

In comment 14503109 Eric from BBI said:

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I recently saw a YouTube video how current and new streaming services are trying to lock down exclusive content and cannibalizing each other. For example, I guess that two of the most popular streaming shows out there are Seinfeld and Friends. So with NBC coming out with their new service, they are going to take that away from (I think it was Hulu). If they think most Americans are going to sign up for 4, 5, 6 streaming services, I think they are crazy. How many people are going to pay a monthly fee to watch Seinfeld reruns?

Says the guy who doesn’t own a smart phone. :)

It’s all about content and subscriptions. To anyone under 35/40, it’s
more natural to subscribe/cancel an entertainment on their phone than it is to have cable.

No one is signing up for Seinfeld, Friends or the Office. They will sign up for some big new hit TV show that one of the services paid billions of dollars to produce. What those popular reruns help to do is mitigate cancellations once those big new shows are over.

Also, since we stream YouTube through the Roku, we find ourselves watch a ton of YouTube content.

I'm in the DC area and get all locals, ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS. I get ESPN, NFL network, NBA network, MLB network, FS1, NBC Sports, CBS Sports. The big savings vs. Fios is that there are no equipment rentals. I have Roku's and Fire Sticks. They are cheap, one time costs, and can be used to stream everything. When adding in DVR boxes and regular boxes, plus taxes, I was paying over $250/month for TV, internet and phone. Now Vue is $55, Fios 100/100 is $40 and VOIP phone is $5. It really is like still have cable. If you do try Vue I find that the interface is best with Fire TV/sticks. Much easier to navigate than on the Roku.

You could very well be right, but I think one of the big reasons why people cut the cord is money.

And from a cost/benefit analysis, it makes little sense to pay a monthly subscription to watch 1-2 shows per platform on multiple platforms.

People will decide, which of these streaming services is better for me?

I would not be surprised if some of the "big boys" in the market right now take a big hit once they start losing content from others who hold exclusive rights.

For example, when the mood suits me, I will re-watch an occasional Seinfeld episode on Hulu. But I'll be damned if I'm going to throw $$$ at an NBC streaming service just to have that option. Most of what NBC produces is crap.

in November and since then we've only been using a combination of Netflix, Prime, and Hulu. I haven't missed cable at all.

Very good insight.

cutting the cord is not only about finding alternative delivery systems that cover the entirety of normal TV. I find myself simply watching much less TV altogether since I cut the cord about 3 years ago. The wife too watches much less, but the services we do have allows her to find other programming on demand instead of having to watch a certain show at 8pm, for example.

As for Giants games, there's two low-cost solutions. First is an antenna to get local stations. I'm just inside the range of getting all the NYC channels all the way in CT. Otherwise as Eric mentioned, NFL gamepass. If you combine GP with a VPN running on your device, you can get the games live (along with RedZone).

The major flaw is that its still all very clunky. It's the price you pay for ditching cable. However, I'll deal with clunky if it means saving $150/month. It also helps if you are at least a little tech savvy and can troubleshoot when needed.

I have a full server in my house, so I went a little overboard. But even the wife loves controlling TV just like her computer, with essentially anything she wants at her fingertips. You just have to be willing to bend the rules a little bit and be self-sufficient in finding solutions to what you're looking for.

Pick 2 of 3

- Convenience
- Cheaper
- More Channels

As Meatlof said “two out of three ain’t bad”

I wouldn't be able to live without ESPN, NFL Network, NBA TV, MSNBC, TNT, etc.

Two people, 8 TV's in the house but only 3 cable boxes. As a lazy surfer, the thing I'll miss about cable is scrolling through and seeing Terminator or Shawshank on and halfway through and just clicking on it. If I had to search and choose and then commit to watching any of those from the beginning, I wouldn't.

Cutting the cord will probably save me time in the long run. As for the Giants, I'll probably buy Sunday ticket as a standalone since I'm out of market and hate going to the bar to watch.

PS Vue or Hulu or YouTube tv most likely.

In comment 14503136 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:

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I wouldn't be able to live without ESPN, NFL Network, NBA TV, MSNBC, TNT, etc.

That was me 6/7 years ago. Now? You can take them all for the most part.

So I guess it was always easy for me. I don’t I understand how people can stand wasting hours of time watching commercials through cable networks. YouTube, Netflix and HBO GO are more than enough for my needs. But what about live sports you say? Answer is stream it! Bilasport.net streams flawlessly and you can watch just about any and every sport there is. It’s how I watch baseball and football all season.

If you want some network tv stations then get an HD Antenna as long as you have reception in your area. I live on the side of a mountain in a large Valley region so it’s not an option for me, but I used to have one when I lived in Albany and got like 20+ channels.

has eliminated commercial watching.

Wait until Disney’s steaming service starts up soon. ALL Disney owned properties will be pulled from other sites and will be available only on their service. For MSG and SNY, stream through alternate sights like Reddit.

Thinking you need more.

until they raised their prices. With a lot of shows behind a paywall like CBS, you are going to see a lot more people going back to pirating their content.

I pay $50 a month, but it comes with six accounts, so my wife and I use my account at home, and each of my five children have access to it where they live around the country. Streams great, unlimited DVR. Only drawback for is that it is limited to the devices streaming simultaneously, so if half the family is already using it, the other half has to wait to get on.

I Combined PSVue with a VPN subscription to change my location last year, and next thing you know, I'm watching and DVRing all the NYC locals, which gave me access to love Giants games. Not so sure that's going to work with YouTube TV.

Which gives me everything I could possibly as for for 20 a month
Watched ppv boxing last night for nada
In the process of finally dumping direct tv. Have streamlined it
Will get nfl games thru the box
Maybe buy nfl game pass too

The cable TV model is one of cross subsidization. Everyone pays for all channels, though each person only watches a small subset. You pay for channels you don’t watch. But other subscribers who don’t watch your channels are doing the same on your behalf. So every channel costs less than it otherwise would and every viewer gets a wide variety to choose from.

Because sports is the the most expensive programming there is, the sports fan has gotten the biggest benefit from the cable model. As the cable model erodes, that’s who likely ends up paying the most for their programming in an ala carte world.

ones and PlayStation Vue is easily the best combination of channels and user friendly-ness. The unlimited DVR feature is fantastic as well.

Highly recommend it.

Still feels cheaper than one subscription for $100 a month..

In comment 14503110 TJ said:

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That doesn't really bother me. The idea of paying for television - most of it truly awful - is so appalling that I pick just a couple tv things I want to have and don't worry about the rest. I live too far out to receive tv on an antenna so we just get pbs, and sling for my wife's movie channel (TCM I think?). As a bonus it also gives me yankee games though I catch those more often on radio while I'm doing other things. During football season months I grit my teeth and pay for another service that has the giants games. But I'm always on the lookout for a way to eliminate that.

How are you getting Yankee games? They dont strean YES

In comment 14503172 Jim in Fairfax said:

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The cable TV model is one of cross subsidization. Everyone pays for all channels, though each person only watches a small subset. You pay for channels you don’t watch. But other subscribers who don’t watch your channels are doing the same on your behalf. So every channel costs less than it otherwise would and every viewer gets a wide variety to choose from. Because sports is the the most expensive programming there is, the sports fan has gotten the biggest benefit from the cable model. As the cable model erodes, that’s who likely ends up paying the most for their programming in an ala carte world.

The other issue that I have is the sports streaming products are substandard in quality and FPS. That's the only reason I still hold onto DirecTV, for the sunday ticket.

With cable/satellite, you know you are getting 60 fps, at 720p or 1080i. The steaming services are a blackbox in terms of this; you get 'HD' quality but you never know what the actual resolution is. 60 fps is device dependent. Watching MLB on MLB.tv is fine, but fast moving sports like hockey or football has been terrible in my experience.

I'd rather get the hockey and football packages through cable/satellite than an ISP at this point. Regarding 4k, it will be interesting to see who starts broadcasting NFL games in 4k/120 fps first, TV providers or streaming services.

for Fox and CBS NY networks so I get all the Giants games.

But When I stream Amazon Prime shows/movies through my PS4 I sometimes get buffering issues and that would drive me crazy if was my main option.

In comment 14503136 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:

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I wouldn't be able to live without ESPN, NFL Network, NBA TV, MSNBC, TNT, etc.

You can get all those channels on streaming services. For example, we replaced cable with PS Vue. You get all those channels, local network TV and more with unlimited DVR for $50 a month. And the programming runs in real time on the channels as well as being able to record. I run it through my Playstation since I have it, but you can use a Firestick or whatever you currently use for apps.

The link below has a breakdown of channels offered in the various packages. Looks like they raised the price to $55 on "Core" for new customers, but still cheaper than cable.
Link - ( New Window )

which does have ESPN, as well as a bunch of sports channels I never watch. It's not true cord-cutting, I guess, because we still have a paid TV service, but it's about half the cost of the Spectrum TV service we had. We also have an antenna, but almost never use it. Honestly we should use it more.

I'm going to miss RedZone but cable just got to be too much money for a lot of content I wasn't ever going to watch. I'd have to think seriously about signing up for NFL Sunday Ticket if they ever make it available via streaming.

We are also saving money by no longer renting cable boxes or a Spectrum router. We upgraded to 400mbps Internet service, got a Spectrum a cable modem, declined their router and instead put in a mesh WiFi router (new) and a switch (already had). So instead of paying about $20/month just for Spectrum's gear, we're using our own, which we like better.

It was sort of project, but I'm happy with the result. We almost never have buffering so I'm not feeling the urge to upgrade to Megabit cable Internet, especially since you don't really get fast uploads with it.

Problem now is, there are going to be too many streaming services to subscribe to. Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Warner, plus CBS All-Access, and the various leagues. Too many things to manage, too many bills.

In comment 14503135 twostepgiants said:

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Pick 2 of 3 - Convenience - Cheaper - More Channels As Meatlof said “two out of three ain’t bad”

Ha-the old Good/Fast/Cheap conundrum.

use "locast" TV. It will give you local networks for free. It will throw up a nag screen to donate $5 to them, and after about 15 minutes throw up that screen again and boot you from the program. So there are drawbacks.

Only my son uses it here to stream "the 100" on the CW. We don't get that channel. So what we decided was to log into the app a couple minutes prior watch the nag ad, and every time a commercial comes on exit the app and come back in.

He does that and never gets the 15 minute in nag ad that will boot you in the middle of the program. It's a hack for sure, but it works.

Just recently cut cable and trying to figure out the next step. Had no option besides Spectrum in my apartment and they had me up to $195/month. I would say we turn on the tv a few times a week max. I watch literally almost zero television aside from sports so enough was enough.

Of course that’s the big problem. I like watching the Knicks, Premier League, Devils and NFL/NCAA football. So I am trying to come up with the best solution here. The Giants aren’t really an issue as that’s broadcast TV, can solve that with a cheap antennae if needed. Have to sift through the options.

In comment 14503357 81_Great_Dane said:

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I'd have to think seriously about signing up for NFL Sunday Ticket if they ever make it available via streaming.

Sunday ticket is available as a streaming, stand-alone service. I've had it for a few years now at least. It has come in handy since the Giants aren't on TV in Los Angeles very often with the Rams and Chargers coming to town. I stream through the Playstation or laptop but I'm sure the app is available on whatever device you use for other streaming services.

It's a bit pricey though. I'm actually considering Game Pass this year and just watching the games on delay since it's significantly cheaper, but we'll see. Don't know if I can handle the wait.

NFL Sunday Ticket Streaming - ( New Window )

modems anymore

The CW has a free app on Roku.

In comment 14503138 UConn4523 said:

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In comment 14503136 SFGFNCGiantsFan said: Quote: I wouldn't be able to live without ESPN, NFL Network, NBA TV, MSNBC, TNT, etc. That was me 6/7 years ago. Now? You can take them all for the most part.

This is me. Sports TV and punditry is infuriating. I'd much rather listen to a sports podcast that has long form discussion around teams and topics I'm actually interested in than a 2 minute segment of Stephen A Smith yelling at someone.

They keep raising prices making it all a wash.

Prices went up and they dropped a number of popular channels. The only saving gracing is that AT&T customers can stream data-free from anywhere they please. Once that's done, I'll be switching.

cycling and soccer to the big 4 American sports. Motorcross to Hockey, you name it, I watch it. So I was concerned about live sports. So far my experience has been ok. I had Directv for 23 years. My bill will be cut in half at least. From about 250 a month to 125. I’m concerned a bit about football season but I think I will figure it out by then. Right now I’ve settled on YouTube TV. I had Sling for the free week, but it didn’t offer the big four networks and YouTube TV does. I watched the NASCAR race on YouTube -TV this afternoon and I was a bit dismayed by the lag in the stream. The stream was about 2 laps behind, which is about 35-45 seconds. I was streaming RaceView at the same time and my live tv stream was that far behind the RaceView data. Not good. For live sports that is a significant lag. Not sure what can be done about that, other than to avoid all forms of updates until the game concludes on the stream.

In comment 14503362 cjd2404 said:

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use "locast" TV. It will give you local networks for free. It will throw up a nag screen to donate $5 to them, and after about 15 minutes throw up that screen again and boot you from the program. So there are drawbacks. Only my son uses it here to stream "the 100" on the CW. We don't get that channel. So what we decided was to log into the app a couple minutes prior watch the nag ad, and every time a commercial comes on exit the app and come back in. He does that and never gets the 15 minute in nag ad that will boot you in the middle of the program. It's a hack for sure, but it works.

Or donate.

In comment 14503379 oghwga said:

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The CW has a free app on Roku.

We tried that first, apparently this show is not available on the app. At least according to my son