Cord cutting revisited

[Cheeks]

Ts & Ps

https://youtu.be/nnvAwx3AyKA

[Not A Serious Person]

Who is the biggest competition to someone like, say redtube? Just trying to understand business models and such. Thanks for any insights.

I believe if the four porn sites are aggregated together, only Google and youtube are ahead of them.

https://www.similarweb.com/top-websites/united-states

1   google.com       
2   youtube.com      
3   facebook.com       
4   amazon.com          
5   yahoo.com    
6   twitter.com          
7   pornhub.com       
8   instagram.com          
9   wikipedia.org          
10   xvideos.com       
11   reddit.com       
12   ebay.com       
13   xnxx.com       
14   craigslist.org          
15   zillow.com       
16   live.com       
17   netflix.com          
18   office.com       
19   bing.com       
20   espn.com       
21   linkedin.com       
22   pinterest.com       
23   walmart.com          
24   indeed.com          
25   cnn.com
27   xhamster.com       
28   msn.com       
29   chase.com       
30   foxnews.com

[Benny B]

I believe if the four porn sites are aggregated together, only Google and youtube are ahead of them.

https://www.similarweb.com/top-websites/united-states

1   google.com       
2   youtube.com      
3   facebook.com       
4   amazon.com          
5   yahoo.com    
6   twitter.com          
7   pornhub.com       
8   instagram.com          
9   wikipedia.org          
10   xvideos.com       
11   reddit.com       
12   ebay.com       
13   xnxx.com       
14   craigslist.org          
15   zillow.com       
16   live.com       
17   netflix.com          
18   office.com       
19   bing.com       
20   espn.com       
21   linkedin.com       
22   pinterest.com       
23   walmart.com          
24   indeed.com          
25   cnn.com
27   xhamster.com       
28   msn.com       
29   chase.com       
30   foxnews.com

Never cared for pornhub’s interface.

[SERocks]

So I was interested in getting the new Disney offering and after reading everyone's reviews about the Mandalorian, even more so.  Just did not want to add more to the monthly entertainment bill though so decided to wait.  My wife gets an email from Verizon where they are giving us Disney for a year as a freebie!  WOO!  Winner Winner! 

[MUfan12]

I know a few have the TCL Roku TV...  The YTTV app on the TV has been buggy, and slow to load for me. Was thinking about running a Fire Cube or Roku Ultra on one of the HDMI ports instead.

Has anyone done this, and is there a universal remote that has worked? I don't want to have to juggle three remotes if I can avoid it.

[Chili]

I know a few have the TCL Roku TV...  The YTTV app on the TV has been buggy, and slow to load for me. Was thinking about running a Fire Cube or Roku Ultra on one of the HDMI ports instead.

Has anyone done this, and is there a universal remote that has worked? I don't want to have to juggle three remotes if I can avoid it.

I use the Harmony Hub with Remote on all 3 of my TV's. Simple to build profiles and easy to use.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-915-000194-Harmony-Control-Smartphone/dp/B00ZYIFXSM/ref=pd_sbs_23_t_1/147-8959559-3647862?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00ZYIFXSM&pd_rd_r=3cff0935-7555-4d12-bc56-8a7005c2202c&pd_rd_w=RuDG6&pd_rd_wg=Kfr6U&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=825HVSTGKG77QV0MD09M&psc=1&refRID=825HVSTGKG77QV0MD09M

[shoothoops]

Does anyone here use Spectrum for tv services. Thoughts? Thanks. I may have an account that might have to use it.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Does anyone here use Spectrum for tv services. Thoughts? Thanks. I may have an account that might have to use it.

I just unbundled from Spectrum.  Their services were reliable, just freakin' expensive.

[shoothoops]

I just unbundled from Spectrum.  Their services were reliable, just freakin' expensive.

Thanks. I have an account, unique situation, where it is one of two options. I was taken aback at their intro pricing. Stunned vs others. That is the hold up. $70 for their basic select package for first 12 months after fees etc...which doesn't include several channels already ready receiving. I was hoping I was missing something. Their silver package is $85 before the fees but closer to the channel offerings. This is even higher than long term pricing with some competitors.

I am trying to convert a disabled person and a few elderly people to YouTube tv.

[MUfan12]

I am trying to convert a disabled person and a few elderly people to YouTube tv.

My mom is not elderly, nor disabled, but let's say... "technologically challenged." She has easily figured out our setup with YTTV on the Roku and Fire TV.

As long as there is one remote and it can function like a what they are used to, they'll be able to pick things up pretty quickly.

[shoothoops]

My mom is not elderly, nor disabled, but let's say... "technologically challenged." She has easily figured out our setup with YTTV on the Roku and Fire TV.

As long as there is one remote and it can function like a what they are used to, they'll be able to pick things up pretty quickly.

Thanks. A little different with 80 year olds 90 year olds and disabled but hoping they can transition with a little help.

[shoothoops]

In case anyone is shopping around.....I was told by someone who would know that Dish Network will not reach a deal with Sinclair until the current deal runs out. Sinclair purchased the Fox Sports Regionals (22 I believe) from Disney summer of this year. That means the earliest a deal would likely be made is 2021. So if you were considering Dish or have it, and live in a market that has a lot of Fox Sports Regional content that you watch, not good news there. I had to make the switch away from Dish earlier this year. The previous expectation was a much quicker deal this year.

[Spotcheck Billy]

My $100/month discounts with AT&T expire tomorrow. After chatting with AT&T today was told I am SOL and they are not offering any discounts currently. I'm checking streaming but since I also have to change my ISP I will likely bundle with Spectrum for 12 months.
I have been with DirecTV since 2000 but that no longer means anything to AT&T.

[Cheeks]

My $100/month discounts with AT&T expire tomorrow. After chatting with AT&T today was told I am SOL and they are not offering any discounts currently. I'm checking streaming but since I also have to change my ISP I will likely bundle with Spectrum for 12 months.
I have been with DirecTV since 2000 but that no longer means anything to AT&T.

It’s all about profitability...costs have gone up so much with programmers that if they over discount, they lose money.  They know for every customer how many credits they can give, and when the limit is reached it is reached.  They have announced that to Wall Street, they are no longer chasing subs for the sake of subs...be it acquisition or retention.  I remember in the old days when it was a 45% margin business, there are some video packages now that are negative margins...they have announced they are shutting those options down.

Shoot hoops...you are correct about Sinclair.  The RSN world going to be VERY interesting in a few years when all these deals come back around.  The streamers aren’t super excited about carrying them and the costs are outrageous...the tipping point for RSNs might finally be here.  Sports rights for more national plays will continue to balloon, but the local RSN is finally having to deal with many customers that do not watch and don’t want to pay for it.  The impact this could have on MLB, in particular, is huge.  Also to NHL and NBA, but to a lesser extent....MLB is the one that has the most to lose in the RSN world.

YouTubeTV, Hulu, etc, all are losing money and don’t care about profitability at the moment...they are just taking market share, then they will raise prices, etc. 

[mu_hilltopper]

It’s all about profitability...costs have gone up so much with programmers that if they over discount, they lose money.

Help me with the terminology .. who are the programmers?  The distributors?  I would have though programmers = content owners/creators.

I understand content owners are demanding more money.  Are their costs going up, or are they just .. demanding more to replace declines elsewhere?

[Cheeks]

Help me with the terminology .. who are the programmers?  The distributors?  I would have though programmers = content owners/creators.

I understand content owners are demanding more money.  Are their costs going up, or are they just .. demanding more to replace declines elsewhere?

Programmers = Disney, Discovery, Warner, Viacom, Universal, Fox, AMC, etc, etc.


Costs going up.  Next week, when the calendar magically hits 2020, every single one of them will get anywhere from 4% to 7% increase because it is a new year.  Some will get a bit more.  They have 90% of the power.  As a result, everyone’s bill will go up in the next few months except at those services that are willing to lose money...the streamers...for which they will do this for a couple more years and then play huge catchup to cover their costs to essentially pay themselves (Disney owns HULU, At&T owns HBO and soon to launch HBO Max, etc).

[jesmu84]

Well, my DirecTV/ATT bill went up again.

So, that was the last straw. Decided on YTTV. Called DirecTV to cancel my service.

Instead, they lowered my next 12 months of costs from 129.99 to 31.99 for TV. Without putting me under contract.

Oh well, guess I'll go through this all again in 2021.

[Cheeks]

Well, my DirecTV/ATT bill went up again.

So, that was the last straw. Decided on YTTV. Called DirecTV to cancel my service.

Instead, they lowered my next 12 months of costs from 129.99 to 31.99 for TV. Without putting me under contract.

Oh well, guess I'll go through this all again in 2021.

I’m surprised...they have been making many decisions not to do that because in that sceanario at that price, they are losing money on you.  Their costs for programming alone would be north of $85 on a $130 bill and that’s not factoring in other costs.

[Spotcheck Billy]

We've been with D* since 2000 and my "annual discounts" expired in December. They would not offer me any reduction initially so I checked options and tried 1 more call after we were back at full retail. That's when they offered $50/month off, not the $65 we had last year but just enough to keep us.

[StillAWarrior]

We're planning to cancel UVerse next week. I started our 14-day free trial of YTTV on Saturday and so far have been pretty impressed. I miss the convenience of numbered channels that I can just navigate to by pressing numbers, but that's absolutely not a deal breaker for the amount we'll be saving. If anyone has YTTV and has any tips on how to better navigate from channel to channel, that would be great.  I do like that when you hit the down button (on Roku...not sure if they are all the same, but I suspect they are) you see the last several channels you've been to.

My wife laughed when we turned it on last night and the "Suggested for You" (or whatever it is called) had three college basketball games and the Cavaliers game. It didn't take long for them to figure out what I like to watch.

Maybe UVerse will offer us a deal when I call to cancel, but I'm not expecting it. I just have to decide if we're going to keep our internet with ATT or whether we'll be switching that to COX.

Also, the family sharing thing is absolutely fantastic for my kids at college.

[MU82]

We're planning to cancel UVerse next week. I started our 14-day free trial of YTTV on Saturday and so far have been pretty impressed. I miss the convenience of numbered channels that I can just navigate to by pressing numbers, but that's absolutely not a deal breaker for the amount we'll be saving. If anyone has YTTV and has any tips on how to better navigate from channel to channel, that would be great.  I do like that when you hit the down button (on Roku...not sure if they are all the same, but I suspect they are) you see the last several channels you've been to.

My wife laughed when we turned it on last night and the "Suggested for You" (or whatever it is called) had three college basketball games and the Cavaliers game. It didn't take long for them to figure out what I like to watch.

Maybe UVerse will offer us a deal when I call to cancel, but I'm not expecting it. I just have to decide if we're going to keep our internet with ATT or whether we'll be switching that to COX.

Also, the family sharing thing is absolutely fantastic for my kids at college.

By the Cavaliers, I assume you're talking about the middle-school girls basketball team I coach, because I'm sure you can't prefer watching what's left of the Cleveland Cavaliers!

Seriously, I'll enjoy hearing about your YTTV experience after you've used it for several months. We'll probably be shopping for a new provider at some point in 2020.

[drewm88]

I miss the convenience of numbered channels that I can just navigate to by pressing numbers, but that's absolutely not a deal breaker for the amount we'll be saving. If anyone has YTTV and has any tips on how to better navigate from channel to channel, that would be great.  I do like that when you hit the down button (on Roku...not sure if they are all the same, but I suspect they are) you see the last several channels you've been to.

No tips, but I'll say that it doesn't bother me anymore. Between the home screen's personalized suggestions and the recent channels down below, I rarely need anything else. If I'm scrolling the guide just to see what's on, I like that they're all clumped by type of channel. Overall, love YTTV.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

No tips, but I'll say that it doesn't bother me anymore. Between the home screen's personalized suggestions and the recent channels down below, I rarely need anything else. If I'm scrolling the guide just to see what's on, I like that they're all clumped by type of channel. Overall, love YTTV.

I agree with this analysis

[StillAWarrior]

By the Cavaliers, I assume you're talking about the middle-school girls basketball team I coach, because I'm sure you can't prefer watching what's left of the Cleveland Cavaliers!

Sadly, no. But I rarely watch other than to check the score (or on commercials). It apparently didn't take YTTV very long to figure out I watch a lot of basketball, at all levels.

[StillAWarrior]

No tips, but I'll say that it doesn't bother me anymore. Between the home screen's personalized suggestions and the recent channels down below, I rarely need anything else. If I'm scrolling the guide just to see what's on, I like that they're all clumped by type of channel. Overall, love YTTV.

I agree with this analysis

Thanks, guys. I really don't think it will bother me much.

One of the first things I did was change the order of channels in the live guide. I grouped them in a way that made sense to me, and also made them roughly correspond with the order of the channels as they were on UVerse, so everything is pretty much where I would expect it to be based upon 15 years with that lineup. I moved the sports channels nearer to top than they were in Uverse (because, obviously, I watch them a lot) and moved the news channels nearer the bottom. And I moved all the channels I will probably never watch to the bottom. I liked being able to customize that.