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Broadcasters fear falling revenues as viewers switch to on-demand TV
Financial Times ^ | February 22, 2015 | Shannon Bond in New York and Matthew Garrahan in Los Angeles

Posted on 02/22/2015 4:02:09 PM PST by SamAdams76

With YouTube to watch, Instagram pictures to take and Facebook, Snapchat and other social media platforms to explore, a generation of young Americans that used to turn to television for entertainment is finding its fix elsewhere. They are watching on-demand services, such as Netflix and Hulu and the BBC iPlayer but turning off “linear” TV, or tuning in at a set time on a set channel. This migration has been gradual but is starting to show up in the quarterly results of some of the world’s biggest media companies — and investors are beginning to notice.

(Excerpt) Read more at ft.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: cable; msm; tech; tv
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To: SamAdams76

Some are already fighting back. You need to be subscribed to a cable service to stream their shows on demand. Fox news has some special setup within hulu, that if you want to watch some past episodes, it checks your cable/internet service for the TV/internet bundle like FIOS or U-verse.

CBS is going to a subscription model similar to netflix. I dont’ know if it will expand past CBS’s own holdings, but it just may.

Others may wait and see what happens to CBS but I think it will go over and the big 3 ... CBS, NBC and ABC will have a joint venture similar to netflix.

Meanwhile, the streaming providers are now creating their own content with much better quality than broadcast TV. Might even surpass the cable channels which have very good quality material themselves.

This will have the good and unintentional side-effect of lowering the influence of the Hollywood and New York entertainment elite.


41 posted on 02/22/2015 5:34:08 PM PST by Usagi_yo
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To: nascarnation

I haven’t watched more than a couple of minutes at most of any TV sports since the 80s and really don’t care at all. Give me ME, BBCA, and TCM for channels.

For the most part, I watch Youtube or stuff on DVD and very little network.


42 posted on 02/22/2015 5:35:51 PM PST by wally_bert (There are no winners in a game of losers. I'm Tommy Joyce, welcome to the Oriental Lounge.)
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To: sneakers

After 8 years of no cable TV (internet only), and 4 years of AppleTV & Netflix, I finally relented to my wife’s demands to see the Winter Olympics “the normal way” and switched providers (to get the network drop point moved in the house for free) and got standard cable TV. All we’ve subsequently watched is a few hours a month of The Bachelor[ette], House Hunters et al, and the Super Bowl. 6 months later, the price just jumped >$60/mo. I’ll be dropping into the AT&T store and cutting that service - _again_.

AND I’ll be bugging them about 7Mbps service when 25Mbps is the legal minimum for “broadband” (as of a couple weeks ago, the FCC changed the definition).


43 posted on 02/22/2015 5:38:56 PM PST by ctdonath2 (Si vis pacem, para bellum.)
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To: Red in Blue PA

I’m with you there. I don’t go to sporting events either, mostly because of the uncomfortable seats, obnoxious crowds, blasting audio, and partly because I’ve ran into some so called friends from TV production land who make really good side money that never deemed me worthy of being in the club, no matter how much I did or how well I did things including running a department by myself at times.


44 posted on 02/22/2015 5:40:23 PM PST by wally_bert (There are no winners in a game of losers. I'm Tommy Joyce, welcome to the Oriental Lounge.)
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To: sneakers

Personally, I stopped watching Fox News even when I had cable. Didn’t miss it much at all. No longer think of it and find it annoying if I am anywhere it is on.


45 posted on 02/22/2015 5:44:12 PM PST by ican'tbelieveit
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To: suijuris

http://www.vipleague.se/

Use the streaming links.


46 posted on 02/22/2015 5:46:09 PM PST by ican'tbelieveit
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To: donna
WHY does Hollywood play background music with lyrics at the same time the characters are talking?

I'm using closed captioning more and more because of that. One tv has it one all the time. I'd have it on the living room tv if the family would let me. Of the hundred channels, we watch less than half a dozen. Tonight, nothing is on. Last night, nothing was on. A growing trend.

47 posted on 02/22/2015 5:49:55 PM PST by bgill (CDC site, "we still do not know exactly how people are infected with Ebola")
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To: donna
WHY does Hollywood play background music with lyrics at the same time the characters are talking?

That, and characters mumble so it is difficult to make out what they said.

I have earphones with inline volume control just so I can raise and lower the volume during many programs. Movies are especially bad with normal conversation, etc., and then BAM LOUD BANGING AND SHOOTING AND EXPLOSIONS, etc.

==

I actually prefer to watch Netflix. No commercials. And I can stop and start when I want.

I do sometimes record programs just so I can watch later and fast-forward through the commercials.

Cable on-demand is pretty crappy. Many of the programs/networks keep all of the commercials in.
48 posted on 02/22/2015 5:59:08 PM PST by TomGuy
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To: SamAdams76
When you consider what companies charge now per month, it's no wonder many younger people (and probably not a few older people) abandon standard contracts, even with bundling, to either go to Roku, Hulu, or whatever.

We, the wife and I, were paying close to three thousand dollars a year for tv, internet, and phone. In our new contract we threw out some things and are paying substantially less.

49 posted on 02/22/2015 6:00:07 PM PST by driftless2 (For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
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To: SamAdams76

There is nothing new with sexual perverts wanting to pervert children. It’s an ancient practice.


50 posted on 02/22/2015 6:02:39 PM PST by pallis (I like white people)
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To: bgill

“I’m using closed captioning more and more because of that.”

Me, too. But that pulls you out of the story into the real world. Sort of ruins the magic.

Also, what’s with those ads (for other shows on the same channel) that pop up on the bottom. They take up 1/4 of the screen and move! Sometimes the ads pop up right at the height of action and actually startle me. Just dumb.


51 posted on 02/22/2015 6:04:03 PM PST by donna (Science is the study of God)
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To: TomGuy

“characters mumble so it is difficult to make out what they said”

And talk so fast. I have trouble with so many female voices being shrill and fast.

I start craving “no talking” and a nice action instrumental to calm by nerves.


52 posted on 02/22/2015 6:11:29 PM PST by donna (Science is the study of God)
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To: sneakers; Perseverando
Try these:

Fox News, free.

Tons of shows, and movies, no commercials and free! Scroll down...

53 posted on 02/22/2015 6:15:41 PM PST by W. (Dem0crat-mandated education reform killed American progress. Thanks, morons!)
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To: W.

Great links!


54 posted on 02/22/2015 6:25:52 PM PST by Red in Blue PA (war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength, obama loves America)
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To: Usagi_yo

I don’t care much for Hulu or Crackle or similar kinds of sources that imbed commercials, via ROKU.

Nearly every time I have tried to watch something, it jams—after one of the commercial breaks. I try to restart, and it goes back to the very beginning. I try to move it ahead, and it replays commercials and then reverts back to the beginning or just jams and stops.


55 posted on 02/22/2015 6:30:55 PM PST by TomGuy
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To: Red in Blue PA

Thanks, enjoy!


56 posted on 02/22/2015 7:14:37 PM PST by W. (Dem0crat-mandated education reform killed American progress. Thanks, morons!)
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To: W.

Thank you! Bookmarked both!


57 posted on 02/22/2015 7:19:43 PM PST by sneakers
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To: goodnesswins

We really like the Ooma. Yes, it’s VoIP. We stayed with comcast, preferring to drop the voice and cable and, instead, getting higher speed internet with them. It is working well, so far. We own the Ooma set, and we bought our own modem, so we won’t pay a rental to Comcast.


58 posted on 02/22/2015 7:30:39 PM PST by sneakers
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To: TomGuy

I think they will eventually have to completely change their money model from $/second air time to $/x # of viewers. Then bill for the actual viewers for the time frame the commercials are running - with 3rd party verification from the website trackers it would be fairly clean. Difficulty will be agreeing on what an individual view is worth to the advertiser - it’ll be less than today, by how much will be the fight.

I’m also really hoping for more competition in broadband internet - I really only have one option in my area and that’s time warner. If I didn’t have to have them for hi speed intent I would definitely switch.


59 posted on 02/22/2015 7:50:31 PM PST by reed13k (For evil to triumph it is only necessary for good men to do nothings)
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To: SamAdams76

It’s been 6 years since I turned in the cable box and I don’t miss it at all.
I have the internet, a Roku device and Netflix. What else would I need?


60 posted on 02/22/2015 8:02:36 PM PST by BuffaloJack (When did the 2nd amendment suddenly require a license or permit for a gun?)
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