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Cable Companies Seek to End Bundle Packages for Themselves
Mon Oct 03, 2011 at 10:00 AM ETTags: Cable, Industry Trends (all tags)
Of course, who knows if they'll pass that savings on to the consumer.
Are you frustrated by cable channel bundles where you have to pay for several channels you don't watch just to get access to one or two that you do? So are cable companies.
Some smaller cable companies are putting the push on content providers to allow them to pick channels individually instead of as a bundle. It's an inconvenience for them of course, and it keeps the prices higher for you.
What would be really fantastic is if that freedom of choice passed on to the consumer, but that doesn't seem entirely likely. What may happen though, is that you'll be able to pick from smaller, more specific packages. This should help eliminate some clutter and lower your bill a bit.
Source Engadget
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Does Comcast/NBC Universal Merger Mean Higher Cable Prices?
Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 10:00 AM ETTags: Comcast, NBC, Cable, Universal, Industry Trends (all tags)
Cable prices could go up faster than ever thanks to the Comcast/NBC Universal merger according to Alexander Per, an economist working at CBSaver.
If you're paying for cable, then you know the pain of shelling out money for the service every month. Cable bills often surpass heating, electricity, phone, and even car payments in some households. It's a lot of money to spend, and it's only going to increase.
Alexander Per, who works for the bill negotiation site CBSaver, says that the recent deal between Comcast and NBC could accelerate this increase. He says that since Comcast's negotiations didn't include any commitment to limit rate increases, we're bound to see something big soon.
Cable rates have been going up faster than everything else we buy, according to Per. "We are talking about 100%-plus growth in the cost of cable in past decade and it is has only just begun," he says.
Source: Home Media Magazine
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37 Percent of Younger Netflix Subscribers Ditch Cable Says Survey
Tue Sep 21, 2010 at 02:00 PM ETTags: Netflix, Cable (all tags)
The streaming service's popularity could be trouble for the cable industry.
We've known for some time that it was happening, but the extent is still a bit of a mystery. People, especially younger folks, are cutting cable. According to a recent survey of younger Netflix subscribers, it could be as high as 37 percent.
A survey by a company called Credit Suisse revealed that 30 percent of users between 18 and 24 are substituting Netflix for cable or satellite television. The change was even more prevalent in the bracket one higher, as around 37 percent of those between 25 and 34 are using Netflix in lieu of traditional television.
In all, the group surveyed 250 people, which really isn't enough to make sweeping conclusions. It's interesting though, and should be a bit of a kick in the pants to the cable industry.
Source: CNBC
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Cablevision Expands West – Acquires Bresnan Communications
Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 10:00 AM ETTags: Cable, Cablevision (all tags)
The New York based cable provider is looking for a foothold in the west.
If you live in the Northeast, chances are you're familiar with Cablevision. It's one of many providers servicing the area, and well, that's the problem. There are a lot of options in places like New York when it comes to television service.
So Cablevision has decided to expand outward, going against what most analysts and stockholders expected. In an effort to get something going outside of its normal area of operations, Cablevision has picked up Bresnan Communications.
Bresnan provides cable and internet to Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming, where it faces little to no competition in most areas.
There's no word yet on just how this will affect current Bresnan customers, but they may be time to start getting used to Cablevision branding.
Source: The New York Times
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Will Time Warner Customers Miss Out on Fox in 2010?
Sun Jan 03, 2010 at 07:45 PM ETTags: Time Warner, Fox, Cable, Industry Trends (all tags)
Disagreements in pricing between the two companies continue to go on unresolved. If Fox follows through on their threats, you may soon wake up without some of your favorite channels.
It’s a pretty straightforward disagreement, but one that may leave Time Warner cable subscribers in the lurch. Fox wants more money for their programming. Time Warner doesn’t want to pay more. Of course, if Time Warner pays more, that means the customer pays more.
So what could this mean to you? If Fox stays true to their threat, they’ll be pulling the plug in 2010. Fox owns a pretty large part of the television spectrum, so this threat could extend far. Obviously, Fox, Fox News, the Fox Sports Network and Fox movie channels would be affected.
Less blatantly branded channels could be caught up in this move too, like FX, the Speed Channel, and the National Geographic channel.
Time Warner has set up a website – RollOverorGetTough.com – to help educate consumers on the issue, and to teach them how to cope without the Fox channels if they’re pulled from the cable provider. Their recommendations are twofold. Either buy a digital tuner to pick up local channels, or get the shows online at Fancast or Hulu. The site also features instructions for setting up an HTPC.
Source: Time Warner
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