The past decade has seen a major shift from the old format of rigid broadcasting schedules to new mobile streaming platforms using the internet. Why is this? Well, to put it simply, public broadcasting is outdated. How so? There is a couple reasons for that.
For one thing, streaming platforms can be accessed on the go. Streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime can easily be used on mobile devices. They connect to your account via wifi. These platforms are built for the internet unlike cable. These streaming platforms also allow their user to pick from a wide variety of shows or movies at any time. This allows for users to binge their favorite shows all the way through without interruption. Cable is limited in that sense. Select shows and movies are played at certain times, which may not be convenient for the user. Another advantage that streaming has over cable is price. A typical cable TV package will cost you about $100 a month, not including the cost of a cable box and any installation fees. Streaming services will only run you about $40 a month including a free trial period.
Many people today have satellite TV and subscribed to a Streaming service, but as time goes on, cable TV is projected to fall to the more convenient and cheaper streaming giants. The only thing that keeps cable afloat is sports packages. Even so, this does not seem sustainable because of more digestible snippets of game highlights. Younger people would rather watch a 3-5 minute video of their favorite players highlights rather than sitting down and watching a whole game for at least 2hrs.
https://www.fox25boston.com/consumer/clark-howard/cable-tv-vs-streaming-tv-are-youtube-tv-directv-now-and-sling-tv-really-a-better-deal/727524058
I definitely think that cable television is on the decline and this post helped confirm that. The article that I attached says that around 15% of American households use only streaming services right now, and I feel like that will probably increase if things continue as they are. I find that especially young people don’t feel the need to have cable anymore. They don’t want to pay the outrageous prices that cable companies charge and like the convenience and flexibility that streaming services provide. However, even older generations that have been so used to cable are starting to see the appeal of streaming services, like my parents.
Personally, at my house, we’ve had a Roku for several years, which we mainly just used for Netflix in the beginning. But, we have added services, like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, and apps for different TV channels. We didn’t have cable for almost a year and relied on streaming services, which served us pretty well because most of the shows we would watch on cable, we were able to watch the next day with Hulu. As you mentioned in your post, the main thing we missed was the ability to watch live sports. The only reason we went back to cable was because the cable company offered us a really good deal. Overall, I think that as streaming services improve and expand, cable TV will go by the wayside, especially if the cable companies don’t change anything they’re doing.
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/cord-cutting-guide,news-17928.html
I can heavily relate to this post, and as of late, I find myself watching cable television less and less on the regular. I used to only watch T.V. for live sports events, which can now be easily streamed from a laptop or mobile device, and nowadays I just find myself having the T.V. on as something in the backround every once in a while. In this new age of technology everyone wants things to be very portable, which makes just regular cable T.V. too one demensional. Streaming services like your Netflix and Hulu have taken the industry by storm, and cable providers are desperately trying to regain the masses. Cable providers are trying their best to make television as mobile as possible to give these same advantages as streaming services. If you go further out on a limb, you can also see the rise of livestreaming websites and how that is very popular among younger people. Sites like “Twitch.tv” (now owned by Amazon) where you can watch your favorite streamers do a variety of things, from playing video games, to having a cooking stream, are now gaining tens of tousands of concurrent viewers. These new outlets of entertainment are much more excessable and cheaper than cable television. Not to mention, they are what kids now are growing up with. I feel like the old days of sitting on your coach on certain weekdays to catch the next episode of your favorite show is a thing of the past.
https://www.digitaltveurope.com/2015/03/20/twitch-to-replace-your-television-says-company-founder/
Reading this post really made me put things into perspective of how much cable television really is on the decline. For me, although I don’t watch much tv in general, basically everything I watch comes from streaming services, usually Netflix. However, when I do watch cable television it is more times than not only because a particular Philadelphia sports team is playing. Other than that, I never find myself sitting down to watch other shows that I used to back a few years ago. It seems when I do want to watch a current season of something, I wait until it is on Netflix after the season has ended. I think a big part of this is due to the increase in technology and the internet in general. The advancements of the internet have many people paying the usually cheaper option of a subscription service rather than a cable television practice. The big names in cable television need to do something soon because they have been on a downhill trend for a long time. However, I am not sure if there is much they can do. I think the only thing keeping them afloat is the fact that the older generations are not used to streaming platforms, however, as we grow older, we will be used to these services. That is where I see things going really downhill.
I also believe that cable TV is going to be little to non-existent in the future. With Netflix, Hulu, and other programs like that becoming more popular I have a feeling that more programs like that will startup in the near future. Making there no need for cable TV. Personally, at college I do not use cable TV. All the shows that I need to watch or want to watch are on these types of programs. So even when I am home I still do not feel obligated to watch cable TV when it is accessible for me. In addition, it is so easy to live stream on computers or even on some kinds of TV. The Amazon fire stick is a newer device that allows people to connect to a bunch of programs through the use of wifi. So even if your TV does not already have wifi connection in its system you now can have that option. My family actually just bought one of these Amazon fire sticks to cut costs on cable. I have a feeling that we are going to get so used to using devices like these that we will stop using cable TV altogether. Everything that you can get with cable TV you can get through other programs for cheaper. That is why I believe cable TV may be gone in a few years.
https://lifehacker.com/5475091/how-can-i-ditch-cable-and-watch-my-tv-shows-and-movies-online