First HBO, then CBS: The Cable Bundle Is Slowly Coming Apart

Atlantic ^ | 10/16/2014 | DEREK THOMPSON

[Bratch]

But what’s to keep the internet providers from raising the price for video streaming speeds? Or cap the amount of data streamed per month?

It doesn’t help much to drop the cable bundle if you’re going to pay $100 a month more for internet access.

[AustinBill]

But what’s to keep the internet providers from raising the price for video streaming speeds?

Short answer: Competition. As soon as Google Fiber announced they were coming to Austin, lo and behold AT&T discovered that they too could offer Gigabit Internet at reasonable prices. Unfortunately I'm not in either of the initial services areas for them. But as roll-out began this year, surprise, surprise, Time Warner Cable discovered that they could up my connection speed by a factor of 10 (from 20mb/sec to 200mb/sec) at no extra charge.

Simply amazing what Mr. Market can do, no?

[catnipman]

“The Wire is awesome, I highly recommend True Detective it’s one of HBO’s best.”

Yeah, my next door neighbor highly recommends TD too, and we’re both on the same wavelength when it comes to TV shows, e.g., both loved the Fargo TV series.

But I refuse to give HBO any money any more, so will wait ‘til I can stream it for nothing.

[morphing libertarian]

The Wire was one of the best ever.

[discostu]

I don’t think either of those moves are hitting the bundle. The HBO move is really because they saw (thanks to the “use your friend’s login move) there was a market for internet only subscribers. CBS is really running late to the party as the other broadcasters figured out a while ago that over the air, through the cable and through the net all get viewers. Bundles are really a tool of the cable networks to get as many of their channels onto your system as possible. Cable companies don’t actually like them, but that’s how they have to buy them, which is why that’s how they sell them.

[Tonytitan]

The catch is that the cable companies control a large number of Internet connections — the streaming for other options is likely to develop mysterious “technical difficulties” if they can get away with it.

Introducing Google Fiber. Coming soon to a wall plate near you.

[TomGuy]

My understanding is buffering remains a problem. What's been your experience?

I have Netflix through my ROKU 1 box and WDTV box. Sometimes there are buffering problems, but that is usually because the cable company is working on the Internet.

I have the mid-level cable Internet. They just bumped my speed up to 50mbps and my monthly download is 250GB. Since the recent increase in speed, I have had no buffering problems with Netflix and the initial download to start the movie/program takes about 4 seconds.

The cable company still works on the Internet and it goes in and out periodically.

[Tonytitan]

The majority of older Americans I know are conflicted whether to cut back to basic cable or be stuck paying for stations they don't watch in order to get the stations they like.

You mean they're not choosing between buying medicine and eating?

[TomGuy]

Short answer: Competition.

LOL

A couple of years ago, my little town of 14,000 was considering the idea of running their own cable & internet. Of course, AT&T and Cox were up in arms, trying to sue and begging customers to vote the issue down.

During that time, my cable would increase only about $3.00 twice a year. Not bad.

Well, the residents voted down the proposal to allow the city to run a cable & Internet service.

A few months after the issue was voted down, Cox increased their rates by about $10.00. Six months later, another major increase of about $10.00. We have had 3 such major increases.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

I’ve got a $50 antenna on the roof (but rarely use it) and AppleTV. I have subs to Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime, along with an HBOgo password I, uh, found on the street. Yeah, that’s it.

I miss TCM, but that’s about it. And I’m holding out hope that since HBO and TCM are both Time Warner, they might find their way to untethered streaming, too.

[morphing libertarian]

can you get any of these

Sons of Anarchy/Justified

Manhattan

Mad Men

Homeland

[advertising guy]

selfping for later

[grania]

You mean they're (seniors) not choosing between buying medicine and eating

It's more like they're choosing whether to go to the casino with the buffet or just go to a lunch buffet.

[ctdonath2]

Life.

[ctdonath2]

Buffering is rarely a problem, and I have a fairly slow connection.

[Ted Grant]

If each channel was a subscriber app, it would ge breat and I wouldn’t get cable.

But if each network app will cost $ 5 a month, and I get my favorite 20 channels, that’s $100 and I can get basic cable for that much, with closer to 100 channels.

Wait and see how the pricing settles out. For example, Food Network for $1-$2 a month would be a no brainer, at $5, I wouldn’t bite.

[newfreep]

...and I have a fairly slow connection.

What download speed are you running?

[AustinBill]

Did your town learn its lesson? Take a cue from the light rail proponents. You just keep bringing it up for a vote year after year until you get what you want. Then you never bring it up again. :)

Competitively-priced broadband Internet service is becoming an essential utility and needs to be treated as such by municipal planners. It's a slow process but it's inevitable. Cities have basically two choices: Refuse to grant monopoly rights and invite several providers in to compete, or (better still) just own and operate the local loops themselves and issue competitive bids for their maintenance and the backhaul links that get re-bid on a regular basis to ensure fairness.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Most of those do come on one of services after a few months. Usually about the time the next season of the series goes to air. And if you can’t wait, there’s always Bittorrent (not that I would ever advocate anything illegal). But frankly, there’s so much good stuff available, I don’t have time for more. Netflix has a series now called “Peaky Blinders,” about a gang in Manchester, England in 1919 that’s great.

[morphing libertarian]

Thanx