Posted on 12/13/2013 9:24:31 PM PST by publius321
A thought provoking Marketwatch article regarding the growing trend of cable "cord cutting" demonstrates the need for a shakeup in the cable television industry. The industry is being run into the ground by old guard gatekeepers. It is becoming a case study of what not to do when faced with competition from visionaries with new technologies and business models.
Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts is best thing that ever happened to Netflix shareholders. Listen Comcast shareholders: Despite CMCSA sitting near 52 week highs, that is abysmal compared to what the market cap SHOULD be and WOULD be if the company was run for the benefit of consumers AND shareholders alike.
NETFLIX is an example of a media company run according to the desires of its customers and owners.
$NFLX's Hastings exposes the utter incompetence and arrogance of $CMCSA management. Netflix owes its great success and continued existence to Roberts and Comcast. If Comcast was run by management who ran the company according to the dictates of the market, Netflix would be out of business or at best a minor niche player offering redundant services.
Comcast is an example of a MONOPOLY that is going to be taken down -without- antitrust suits waged by the Justice Department because the monopoly is run by leadership that is in effect holding shareholder assets HOSTAGE.
Roberts epitomizes the "old guard", a gatekeeper whose agenda is to control what you watch. OUST Roberts & you will double the market cap.
CEO Roberts FORCES customers to pay for trashy channels like M-TV 1,2,3,4... VH-1 Bravo, Al Jazeera and; other raw sewage but REFUSES to give us channels that millions want and repeatedly request like The Blaze TV as one example.
Many of the trash networks like the aforementioned wouldn't even EXIST if Comcast didn't FORCE them on subscribers in their basic package because they wouldn't garner the requisite funds to produce their poison if the majority were not forced to pay for their network ala Roberts.
Netflix knows what you want and gives you WHAT YOU WANT. What you want (by evidence of incessant "chord cutting" is ala carte. Instead of "ala carte", Comcast delivers "ala Roberts". That's the key to their downward spiral.
In my past writings, some have written to me saying, "if you don't like Comcast, you don't have to subscribe… nobody is holding a gun to your head." I wish it was that simple. I am working on getting my master homeowner's association, representing hundreds of homes to drop the contract they negotiated with Comcast. As it stands now, I have no choice but to pay for the Comcast trash because it is incorporated into my dues.
I have listened to customers complain about this juggernaut for decades. Boycotts do not work because as Roberts and CMCSA management has demonstrated; they have no compunction about running the company's assets into the ground as if they were their own to abuse as they please. The only way to quell the ongoing sabotage and exodus of customers to Netflix - is for shareholders to start making demands. It is time for the SHAREHOLDERS to start standing up for their investment. Shake up the Board of Directors, remove management - or divest.
Comcast employing compulsive liars like Al Sharpton and Martin Bashir (who was relectantly let go by resignation) at MSNBC demonstrates CEO Robert's disregard for $CMCSA shareholders and THEIR company's assets.
As I recently tweeted directly to Obama’s golfing partner and financial "bundler" Mr. Roberts, “if you want to use Comcast assets to advance your PERSONAL agenda over shareholders, take the damned company private.”
Unless shareholders go on the offense, expect to continually read articles about cord cutting and continue to expect subscribership to migrate to alternative services like Netflix.
I get about six stations with the antenna I’m using. I agree with you that some of those stations showing the old shows are fun. My problem is actually that I’m too close to the transmission....the hill they’re on top of blocks some signals.
I don’t get the point of paying for something that’s free...bottled water, Sirius and other pay-for radio, towel dry my hair, etc.
Even if I drop cable TV, I’m still stuck with the cable company for computer. They’re just plain awful. I pay for inside-cable repair insurance, basically to cover their ineptitude.
We get all the networks except the NBC which carries “Grimm”. They moved their transmitter out of line of sight in the narrow V in the hills through which we get reception so torrent it is. *grin* Our problem is the TINY gap in the hills, not distance. Still, it *is* free stuff
As far as cable - not a problem - there is no cable on my road (heck, the road was dirt until 2004). Housing density is low enough to rule out cable but makes it a nice place to live. Last time I dealt with a cable company’s customer “service” was back in the 1980s — they were a sterling example of what NOT to do back then. From what I see here, they still are.
Check into XBMC media player.
It was designed for XBox and the like, but you can use it on your PC to pick up streaming vids from US networks and from channels around the world.
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