The Golden Age of Cord-Cutting Is Over.

[tthurman]

Now What?

https://www.theringer.com/tv/2019/7/12/20691261/hbo-max-cord-cutting-golden-age-over-new-streaming-services

[hansolo77]

I don't care.  I'll still just download the shows I want to watch, or record them on local broadcast to watch later.  I refuse to subscribe to streaming services because they won't air shows on TV.  I have an Amazon Prime subscription, which I use for the free 2-day shipping.  The free streaming service it provides, along with access to my "movies anywhere" library is just a bonus perk.  I don't watch Amazon only shows/movies.  I have a Netflix account, because when I signed up it was free.  I originally got Netflix for the DVDs, then they added streaming as a free bonus perk.  Of course, discs by mail are going out of style, I doubt even Redbox is making much money anymore.  But I was grandfathered in to the streaming service and only pay like $5 a month for it after I dropped the disc service.  Here comes CBS All Access, that want you to subscribe to watch the new Star Trek shows.  Guess what?  I had it downloaded 20 minutes after it aired in Canada (because CBS wanted you to get their online service and wouldn't broadcast it in the USA) and then turned around and bought the Bluray.  One time charge, infinite watches, and no monthly fee.  HBO only has 1 show I care to watch, Game of Thrones.  I don't have HBO, so I waited (having finished all the published books) for the announcement that the entire show is going to be released in a Collector's BluRay set.  Already have it pre-ordered.  So once again, 1 time charge, infinite watches, and no monthly fee.  HBO used to be about premium movies, but if you waited long enough they would come on regular TV (maybe with curse words dubbed out and nudity cut...but still).  We have tons of VHS tapes of movies from that time.  HBO would run a special free weekend, and we taped.  Now HBO looks like it's all about TV and not Home Box Office, like Theater Box Office.  They've changed.  Like MTV used to be about music.  But yeah, anyway.  If there is something I absolutely cannot live without seeing, I'll buy the BluRay.  99% of TV I watch is local broadcast on national channels like NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, PBS.  And lately, all I've been watching is NOVA on PBS and Simpsons/Family Guy on FOX.  I'm not really feeling like I'm missing out by not subscribing.  And I refuse to subscribe to 10 different providers for 1 show on each.  Them's people's crazy.

[Draco1962]

I don't think cord cutting is over. I think it is merely evolving and the big media names are just starting to flex their muscle and possibly their stupidity if they overestimate their value at the expense of their customers. It is going to take more than having The Office or Friends catalogues to make one a draw or a hit. Of the services mentioned, Disney+ stands to gain the most.

[tthurman]

I don't subscribe to anything except cable without any premium movie channels or HBO, which I cut back to one TV in the house.  For the others, I installed a terrestrial antenna farm in the attic, which works wonderfully and doesn't come with a monthly subscription.  I would have considered Netflix, but sort of saw this coming and passed.  Now that everyone wants a piece of the pie and I bet you many considering dumping cable that hadn't, will now reconsider.  Others that did cut the cord, yeah, I don't see them shelling out bucks for each and every streaming service coming down the pike.   With the upcoming pillaging of long time Netflix titles, if anything, I suspect this will motivate people to return to cable, albeit slowly.

These companies are just late to the game opportunists, you didn't see them boring into the ground to bury fiber, but they'll sure as hell ride in on the coat tails of those that pioneered streaming and spoil it for everyone all in the name of greed. 

This has so many similarities to how the recording industry sat back and let Napster handle the heavy lifting of achieving public acceptance of digital music before swooping in like vultures and squashing them.

[hansolo77]

1 hour ago, tthurman said:

This has so many similarities to how the recording industry sat back and let Napster handle the heavy lifting of achieving public acceptance of digital music before swooping in like vultures and squashing them.

Don't forget about the emulation scene, how we've been doing it for years and all of a sudden Nintendo decides to capitalize on it and build a mini version of their console that is essentially an emulator.  It even runs ROMs, that they downloaded from the internet, with headers, rather than create their own dumps.  SNES did the same thing, and so did the Playstation.  Playstation didn't even create their own emulator, they just stole it from the open source.

[Draco1962]

I have to admit that we are spoiled by the X1 DVR and all the goodies. You can compare cable vs. cord cutters to console vs. emulation in that true cord cutting requires lots of homework and acquired expertise to tie it all together for an enjoyable experience. The cable (Comcast/Xfinity) with the X1 and its bells and whistles work out of the box and achieve thr same results with little to no skills required by the viewer.

[RIP-Felix]

Roku Ultimate + Hulu w/ Live TV and no ads + Netflix suits my needs. However, it's getting expensive on it's own right. Include internet access and it's creeping up on basic cable rates.

Leave it to capitalism to ruin the fun just when it was getting good. This is the one good thing about monopoly, it's a one stop shop for everything. It's just that they can then start hiking the price having captured the market. Competition might be annoying, but it should keep prices competitive. And if they have that one show you just have to subscribe to see, you can grab a month and  cancel after the binge. I did that with HBO for Game of Thrones and John Oliver.

[tthurman]

The X1 is really great, especially at certian things....