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lol at all people saying "I don't want a cable subscription!".

What do you think pays for TV content?

Pretty sure they make a lot of money from ads.
I see people complaining about ads in free apps.. at least you can pay for the full version of that app for it to become ads free.

For cable TV we pay and we still get ads every 5 minutes.
 
Since I don't hold out much hope that people will read the article I posted earlier, I except a section of it here to illustrate that cable networks make their money from AFFILIATE fees (paid by the cable companies), NOT ad revenue, and certainly not per-episode purchases (you can bet that if the bread and butter of affiliate fees went away, prices for individual episodes would go WAY up, because the difference lost in ad revenue and affiliate fees combined would be huge. That the big thing...traditional cable subsidizes the ability to buy on a per-episode basis, too! You wouldn't be paying $1.99 if the networks didn't have ad revenue to fall back on).

Anyway, many like AMC, home of Breaking Bad and Mad Men, and wish they could pay JUST FOR THOSE TWO SHOWS. Hell, that includes me. But it wouldn't work. Check this out (the ESPN mentions reference an earlier part of the article):

AMC pulled in 460,000 viewers a night last week, yet earned $196 million in affiliate fees last quarter. If we assume that the average AMC viewer tunes in the same eight times a month, that’s 1.73 million households that watch AMC:

-Every household pays $0.65 per month for AMC in affiliate fees ($65.3m/100m)

-Only 1.7 percent of households watch AMC. If AMC were only available a la carte, each of those households would have to pay $38/month in order for AMC to achieve the same revenue numbers they do currently

-The 98.3 percent of households who don’t watch AMC would only see their cable bills decrease by $0.65 were they able to exclude it

Both these cases are overly simplified, and make a lot of assumptions, and, crucially, ignore price elasticity: at those a la carte prices, both ESPN and AMC would get a lot less viewers, both decreasing advertising revenue and requiring that much higher of a fee to maintain their current revenues.

The truth is that the current TV system is a great deal for everyone.

-Networks earn much more per viewer than would be sustainable under a la carte pricing
-Networks are incentivised to create (or in ESPN’s case, buy rights to) great programming; making your content “must-watch” lets you raise your affiliate fees
-Viewers get access to multiple channels that are hyper-focused on specific niches. Sure, folks complain about paying for those niches, but only because they don’t realize others are subsidizing their particular interests

Source: http://stratechery.com/2013/the-cord-cutting-fantasy/
 
My parents said the same.

Streaming of Apple TV constantly, she likes a how, and wants a DVD copy of it, so she asks me.. I say no. ;)

But i can understand this concept, while optical media also gets scratched, with streaming, you don't have any control, they can be pulled at any time because someone decided to stop pay their license fees.

I can appreciate this, but its tough. Which way to turn??

So really, how many are 100% streaming..... I think there is at least a DVR somewhere.

the best of both world would be to download the content you own on an external hardrive so that it's yours forever. Unless the hard drive fails obviously but still.. What if apple offered a 1TB apple TV?
 
Trading this
Image

For this
Image

That alone makes it worthwhile.. losing the 64 button monstrosity in favor of the impossibly sleek aluminum Apple TV remote with 3 buttons and a four point ring.

This plus the cable box takes up half of the shelf on my tv stand. I am able to fit a roku, Apple TV, wii, and Sony blu ray sound system in the exact same spot.
 
Would people anywhere in the US be able to subscribe to TWC or is it only for areas that already have it?

Woudl the majority of the population of the earth be able to access any of these things, or are the content owners clasping their antiquated model and dollar dollar bills too firmly to ever hope for that?
 
Would people anywhere in the US be able to subscribe to TWC or is it only for areas that already have it?

It would mean TWC would get access to anywhere with an Internet connection most likely.. Some of you remember that "a big cable company was "testing" streaming to see if servers could "handle" it... Looks like it was TWC...

It seems like Apple TV is headed the way of cellular service... Just pick up the box from Apple TV and select your provider...

It leaves Apple out of securing content deals per say (as long as they don't compete) ...

Compare TWC with AT&T like when the iPhone came out... They'll be first to "offer" service to your Apple TV... Remember all your Apple devices will be your "remote" plus SIRI I'm sure will be able to change channels etc etc etc.

That's my take
 
According to Wikipedia:

Time Warner (not affiliated with Time Warner Cable) owns these networks:
New Line Cinema, Time Inc., HBO, Turner Broadcasting System, The CW Television Network, TheWB.com, Warner Bros., Kids' WB, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Adult Swim, CNN, DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, Hanna-Barbera, and Castle Rock Entertainment.

CBS Corporation owns:
Showtime, part of the CW (with TWC), and all the CBS programing.

Discovery Communications owns:
28 network entertainment brands, including Discovery Channel, Military Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery Fit & Health and a family of digital channels. DCI also distributes BBC America and BBC World News.

The Walt Disney Company owns:
ABC broadcast television network, Disney Channel, ESPN, A+E Networks, LifeTime.

Scripps Networks Interactive owns:
Food Network, DIY Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and Great American Country

Viacom Media Networks owns:
MTV, VH1, CMT, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, TV Land, Spike, Epix, Blink.

AMC Networks owns:
AMC, IFC, WE tv, and Sundance Channel; the art house movie theater IFC Center in New York City.

Fox owns:
Fox channels

NBC owns:
NBC channels


It's nice to see that these conglomerates are not all that conglomerated. The networks that will allow themselves to be internet subscription based will be the ones with the most to gain.
 
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Dream on, someone has to pay for that content and they're never going to give it away. Whether you pay a cable company or you pay Apple/Netflix/Hulu you will pay in some way for the content you watch, that aspect will never change.

I dont think people are asking for free content - just the ability to access the content on a show by show, or chanel by chanel basis withuot submitting to the not so subtle design of cable networks to push a bunch of useless stuff on you to allow the privilege of accessing that one chanel or show. Even better, allowing people outside the US to access shows at reasonable prices and within a reasonable time. Which will never happen.

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Absolutely irrelevant news to anyone outside the US, i.e. most of Apple's market. So why is this on page 1?

So we can punch the walls again reading all the cool stuff thats not accessible to anyone outside the US because of a bunch of old men in suits who cant think of the future and who love their money too much.
 
According to Wikipedia:

Time Warner Cable owns these networks:
New Line Cinema, Time Inc., HBO, Turner Broadcasting System, The CW Television Network, TheWB.com, Warner Bros., Kids' WB, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Adult Swim, CNN, DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, Hanna-Barbera, and Castle Rock Entertainment.

CBS Corporation owns:
Showtime, part of the CW (with TWC), and all the CBS programing.

Discovery Communications owns:
28 network entertainment brands, including Discovery Channel, Military Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery Fit & Health and a family of digital channels. DCI also distributes BBC America and BBC World News.

The Walt Disney Company owns:
ABC broadcast television network, Disney Channel, ESPN, A+E Networks, LifeTime.

Scripps Networks Interactive owns:
Food Network, DIY Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and Great American Country

Viacom Media Networks owns:
MTV, VH1, CMT, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, TV Land, Spike, Epix, Blink.

Fox owns:
Fox channels

NBC owns:
NBC channels


It's nice to see that these conglomerates are not all that conglomerated. The networks that will allow themselves to be internet subscription based will be the ones with the most to gain.

Time Warner spun off TWC in 2009. They are separate companies.
 
This is a big step in the right direction. I've had cable on and off for years. We aren't huge tv watchers but we watch Texas rangers regularly. We tried canceling cable a few times, but it just didn't work out as the few channels we watch we couldn't get content. Fox sports southwest/hgtv for the wife. By the time we paid for Hulu plus and Netflix it was only like $30 less than having cable and we couldn't get the content we really wanted.

At one point I had an hd box with digital cable with time Warner with 15mbps Internet and we were only paying $68 with tax a month as they wanted us to stay with them. That lasted for 2 years then our promotion ended again and they would not budge on any discounts. The bill went from $68 to $130. They were being hard and were not gonna give us anymore discount. At that point I cancelled tv and went with Internet only and that lasted 6 months. I called back and they were magically able to add tv again for $30. Then of course the bill went up again after that promotion. I was told all along that standard tv, channels 2-70 cost more than digital cable so I was forced to have this big box and all these channels I don't watch. I called again and actually got someone who knew what they were talking about.

Since we only watch standard cable tv we could use twc app on roku free as its included. If only apple had the app...everything we watch we could do through Apple TV all the time. No need to pay twc for their crappy hardware and it saves space. So now we have a roku and can stream 53 channels....majority of which we watch on 2-70 channels. Can view on iPad as well. All around $95 with tax with 30mbps internet

Some may not see the big deal, but things are changing. Things can only change going forward with the advancement in technology. Yes we pay a cable bill, but how else can we get the content? We no longer have to have a big crappy cable box and a time Warner remote to see content. We no longer have to be plugged into a cable jack to receive content. If we wanna pull a tv out on the patio to watch the rangers game we can.
 
Would people anywhere in the US be able to subscribe to TWC or is it only for areas that already have it?

Hey how about all the 8 Billion plus people who don't live in the USA who would happily pay for a subscription to the USA because the ones we have in our own countries cost us a lot more for a much crappier selection.
 
the best of both world would be to download the content you own on an external hardrive so that it's yours forever. Unless the hard drive fails obviously but still.. What if apple offered a 1TB apple TV?


That would be fine if you own the content.... But i don't.

Why am i steaming, if i already have it.
 
Apple should put a HDD and Cablecard slots in an ATV... basically just wipe out TiVo and other DVRs. Which they could, easily, because we know their interface design would be superior. Just get the box into everybody's home. Then they can figure out what to do with it later -- enable features when they're ready to roll out, or sell upgraded versions, etc. They should think like a crack dealer and just get people hooked on having their box, now. Changing TV, if it's possible, can come later. But I have a TiVo (which includes Netflix and Amazon Instant Video) and so current ATV offers no functionality benefit to me. Less, in fact.
 
Why thanks, and if I watch sports, I can just forget about it. Is that your point?

The control on sports content is even worse. These sort of artificial restrictions encourage piracy. I don't know what to tell you. I'm not a sports fan myself, but I understand the frustration.
 
I want my Verizon cable on this purely because their retarded DVR box broke for the 4th time and has always been annoying even when it was working (like "recording" Top Gear on channels that aren't available then crashing when I try to watch them). It's great that we get WatchESPN now on it because I want it for the World Cup.
 
That's great, except for the fact that the content you dont want subsidizes the content you do.

I'm not saying I like the current system, or that I don't hope for something better, but the system is set up the way it is for a reason, and it's more nuanced than "money grubbing cable companies!"

Read this: http://stratechery.com/2013/the-cord-cutting-fantasy/

Honestly, I don't care. Your rebuttal assumes that I wish to maintain the status quo of content. I do not. Let that which requires the subsidized model, die. 90% of television is utter garbage and only contributes to the bland and stupid portions of society. Trim the fat.


Also, this terrible subsidized model is not the only model: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC
 
Trading this
Image

For this
Image

That alone makes it worthwhile.. losing the 64 button monstrosity in favor of the impossibly sleek aluminum Apple TV remote with 3 buttons and a four point ring.

Have fun typing stuff with that and finding it when it gets lost every day. No, I can't stand that thing. I use the iPhone with the Remote app, and that works beautifully.

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That's great, except for the fact that the content you dont want subsidizes the content you do.

I'm not saying I like the current system, or that I don't hope for something better, but the system is set up the way it is for a reason, and it's more nuanced than "money grubbing cable companies!"

Read this: http://stratechery.com/2013/the-cord-cutting-fantasy/

At the end of the day, paid cable channels have more ads than antenna TV channels. WTF?
 
Since I don't hold out much hope that people will read the article I posted earlier, I except a section of it here to illustrate that cable networks make their money from AFFILIATE fees (paid by the cable companies), NOT ad revenue, and certainly not per-episode purchases (you can bet that if the bread and butter of affiliate fees went away, prices for individual episodes would go WAY up, because the difference lost in ad revenue and affiliate fees combined would be huge. That the big thing...traditional cable subsidizes the ability to buy on a per-episode basis, too! You wouldn't be paying $1.99 if the networks didn't have ad revenue to fall back on).

Anyway, many like AMC, home of Breaking Bad and Mad Men, and wish they could pay JUST FOR THOSE TWO SHOWS. Hell, that includes me. But it wouldn't work. Check this out (the ESPN mentions reference an earlier part of the article):



Source: http://stratechery.com/2013/the-cord-cutting-fantasy/

Ill pay more per episode.

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Pretty sure they make a lot of money from ads.
I see people complaining about ads in free apps.. at least you can pay for the full version of that app for it to become ads free.

For cable TV we pay and we still get ads every 5 minutes.

I refuse to pay for a service that also wishes to serve me ads. I will never have another cable subscription. It's a slowly dying model.

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First of all, if you ******* with the existing cost structure, the content you want would change, and you might not like it. Second, I refer to my earlier post: how exactly does Apple distribute, say, Breaking Bad (which likely wouldn't exist in your new model anyway)?

Through an ISP. Hey, TWC again! Those guys just never go away, do they? As long as TWC offers both cable channels and Internet, you will pay.

I find you confusing. Your argument is like: "the status quo is ****** but great! Please continue screwing us!"

And what do you mean "how does apple distribute breaking bad"?! Do you use iTunes?

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Someone who gets it!

Breaking Bad ( and shows like it) WOULDN'T exist on this pay-per-show model.

The risk for the networks would be astronomically larger without the "guaranteed" affiliate fees. Why would they make big bets (like full season orders, good actor contracts, etc) on high-production value shows like Breaking Bad, when they would be at the mercy of per episode purchases?

Also, people always talk about already established, critically acclaimed shows..."I just want to pay for those!"

Those shows would never get off the ground with the pay per episode model. Who starts buying first run episodes of things they've never seen before?!?!?! It's difficult enough to build an audience under the CURRENT model!

Everyone seem to misunderstand the underlying economics of television. All the "the ads pay for it!" posts demonstrate that.

I'm sorry, but the free market wins:

https://www.google.com/#gs_rn=19&gs...08,d.dmg&fp=609bc729568811d0&biw=1024&bih=622


I don't personally know anyone under the age of 50 who has cable. The model is dying. Yeah, it will change entertainment, but bring it on.
 
Honestly, I don't care. Your rebuttal assumes that I wish to maintain the status quo of content. I do not. Let that which requires the subsidized model, die. 90% of television is utter garbage and only contributes to the bland and stupid portions of society. Trim the fat.

You don't quite get it. The 10% you claim is quality likely would not exist in any other model but the current one. In an à la carte system -- which is to say, a system where each show has to be profitable or die -- it would be 100% garbage, not 90. Check out AMC's lineup and then compare it to any CBS prime time lineup. That's the difference.

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Ill pay more per episode.

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I refuse to pay for a service that also wishes to serve me ads. I will never have another cable subscription. It's a slowly dying model.

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I find you confusing. Your argument is like: "the status quo is ****** but great! Please continue screwing us!"

And what do you mean "how does apple distribute breaking bad"?! Do you use iTunes?

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I'm sorry, but the free market wins:

https://www.google.com/#gs_rn=19&gs...08,d.dmg&fp=609bc729568811d0&biw=1024&bih=622

I don't personally know anyone under the age of 50 who has cable. The model is dying. Yeah, it will change entertainment, but bring it on.

I don't find you confusing, but I do find you misguided. I didn't say I'm being screwed. I, too, would like a lower cable bill, but I'd also like to eat ice cream and not gain weight. Some things cost. So, to your question -- yeah, I use iTunes. What do you think gets iTunes to my computer or TV? It doesn't magically appear there for free. It comes over the Internet, courtesy an Internet Service Provider, which in my case is TWC. And I pay for it.

All those silly under 50s who don't have cable... how do they surf the web, exactly?
 
The control on sports content is even worse. These sort of artificial restrictions encourage piracy. I don't know what to tell you. I'm not a sports fan myself, but I understand the frustration.

You can't blame the sports mess on the cable providers. The teams make their demands, the cable providers fork over, and we pay out. And if you're going to stick to your story that you don't know anyone under the age of 50 who subscribes to cable, then either you don't know many people under 50, or you don't know anyone who follows a local sports team. Either way, you've wrapped the implausibility meter around the far peg.

The point here is you should not make it sound as if anyone who still subscribes to cable is an old fuddie-duddie who just doesn't get it.
 
What about an UI overhaul.

It's a mess as it is now. Simply adding another app would only make it more cluttered.
 
Woudl the majority of the population of the earth be able to access any of these things, or are the content owners clasping their antiquated model and dollar dollar bills too firmly to ever hope for that?

I wonder. Why register iWatch in Japan, Chile, Mexico, India. Could this be the way Steve Jobs "cracked" the system, making this a global system not a local cable domain? Ok, I admit I may be off in a tangent, di di di di, di di di di.
 
You can't blame the sports mess on the cable providers. The teams make their demands, the cable providers fork over, and we pay out. And if you're going to stick to your story that you don't know anyone under the age of 50 who subscribes to cable, then either you don't know many people under 50, or you don't know anyone who follows a local sports team. Either way, you've wrapped the implausibility meter around the far peg.

The point here is you should not make it sound as if anyone who still subscribes to cable is an old fuddie-duddie who just doesn't get it.

That's just honesty, yo. Cable is in the same class as land line telephones.

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You don't quite get it. The 10% you claim is quality likely would not exist in any other model but the current one. In an à la carte system -- which is to say, a system where each show has to be profitable or die -- it would be 100% garbage, not 90. Check out AMC's lineup and then compare it to any CBS prime time lineup. That's the difference.

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I don't find you confusing, but I do find you misguided. I didn't say I'm being screwed. I, too, would like a lower cable bill, but I'd also like to eat ice cream and not gain weight. Some things cost. So, to your question -- yeah, I use iTunes. What do you think gets iTunes to my computer or TV? It doesn't magically appear there for free. It comes over the Internet, courtesy an Internet Service Provider, which in my case is TWC. And I pay for it.

All those silly under 50s who don't have cable... how do they surf the web, exactly?

Obviously the context of the discussion clearly implies that 'cable' == 'cable television'.

I have cable Internet. To me, cable television is about as useful as a landline telephone.

I fully 'get it'. I'm saying I don't care. Cable television is dying slowly. Good riddance. Netflix's experiment with original series is proving you wrong. Ill gladly pay significantly more for Netflix. I'll gladly pay more through iTunes.

History is full of people who argued for the status quo, and were left behind. Do you realize how funny it is that you're arguing for the status quo on an Apple focused forum?
 
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That's just honesty, yo. Cable is in the same class as land line telephones.

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Obviously the context of the discussion clearly implies that 'cable' == 'cable television'.

I have cable Internet. To me, cable television is about as useful as a landline telephone.

You have cable Internet. Then you should realize that "cable Internet" comes over the same literal pipe as "cable television" and is provided by the same company. The Internet is not disruptive in the same way cellphones are to landlines -- it may appear so, but it isn't. Not until the government deems a company like TWC is anti-competitive for controlling both cable access and Internet access. Whether cable television is useful to you, well that's on you. To me, it is useful.

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That's just honesty, yo. Cable is in the same class as land line telephones.

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Obviously the context of the discussion clearly implies that 'cable' == 'cable television'.

I have cable Internet. To me, cable television is about as useful as a landline telephone.

Let me be even more clear: if you cut out the middleman -- the cable TV part -- and just get your programming over the Internet (from the same company, btw), do you think your bandwidth charges will remain the same? Do you honestly think you've found a way to beat TWC out of some money, a way that will have a multibillion dollar business flummoxed at your genius? No, my friend. My bet, and it's a safe one, is that you will always pay. And me, too. Your only way out is to turn all of it off.
 
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