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How Are You Managing Your Entertainment Subscriptions (TV, Movie)?

Huntn

Huntn

macrumors Penryn
Original poster
May 5, 2008
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The Misty Mountains
Ok, so Apple TV+ has arrived. I’m resisting another subscription until I know more.
As it is, I’m trying to imagine how the average customer is expected to manage a subscription to a major cable TV provider and then add all of the new premium channels to? 😬

Although, my desire is to cut the cable, I still have basic cable (20 some basic channels including NBC, CBS, and ABC). Is a situation developing where Cable TV revenues will plummet as customers dump premium cable to pursue and binge subscribe to all of the myriad of new premium channels popping up? I see any major cable provider in jeopardy and wonder how accessing this content will shake out?

Netflix based on quantity and quality of content is my favorite. If I hear that Disney just bought Netflix, I’ll SCREAM!! 😫

Here is my current status:
  • Suddenlink- Cancelled premium cable plan ($85/month) and went to basic, approx $20 per month.
  • Sling TV- $40 per month. Subcribed to, to access cable channels we use to watch on Suddenlink, such as AMC, Home and Garden Network, FX, MSNBC.
  • Netflix subscriber $13/month approx (ranges $9-16) We watch this regularly.
  • Amazon Prime $13/month, $120/year. If you buy a lot through Amazon, a great deal.
  • Acorn TV $6/mont, $60/year. My wife likes U.K. shows.
  • HBO- Binge subscribe status. $14/month.
  • CBS All Access— Bing subscribe status. $6-10/month.
  • Apple TV- Free for channels, Apple TV+ likely binge subscribe status $5/month.
  • Movie Streaming- Rent on Amazon, Apple, Suddenlink, or Vudu. You notice how after a movie is reassessing to home distribution, they now first try to get you to buy the movie for a period of months after release? 🤬
  • Vudu- Offers free movies with commercials, with a lower number of commercials as compared to broadcast TV.
  • Roku Movies- I’ve not looked at this too much, but there appears to be free movies to watch there.
  • Pluto TV- I’ve known about it for a while but actually signed in (free) and there are several old TV shows for viewing like Beverly Hillbillies and I Dream of Jeanie for example.
 
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Gutwrench said:
Apple TV+ doesn’t interest me.

No change here:

Hulu Live
Netflix
Amazon Prime
iTunes
Click to expand...
Early next year I anticipate I’ll have to renegotiate the price for my Suddenlink package (basic cable, internet, and home security system) and at that time I’ll look at alternatives to Sling, not because I’m unhappy with it, but because I want to be sure it remains competitive price wise. The great thing , is that these kinds of changes can be made without hardware changes.
 
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YouTubeTV, Netflix, SiriusXM, Cable Internet.

Prices have risen since the cord-cutting fad began. My list there is $100 / month or so. But the usability is so far and away from what a dumb cable box used to provide.

I have no interest whatsoever in ATV+.
 
Sticking with what I have.
  • Netflix
  • Criterion Channel (Forgot to mention I have this in another thread someplace recently).
  • Amazon Prime (But I never use it since it's not even installed).
  • YouTube (Free)
I have little desire to subscribe to anything else. Feels like nickel and diming to death and too many places to look for what I might want to watch.

Cutting the cord seems to have come full circle and is now a detriment to its own existence. There is far too much fragmentation and it seems to be getting worse as companies pull their content from some platforms to release their own streaming service.

Traditional cable/satellite carriages seem to be the way to go again if you want one place to find all the stuff you watch without having to pay separate bills for it all. Though, I'm not going that route again either. I hate commercials too much to pay for them.
 
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SandboxGeneral said:
Traditional cable/satellite carriages seem to be the way to go again if you want one place to find all the stuff you watch without having to pay separate bills for it all. Though, I'm not going that route again either. I hate commercials too much to pay for them.
Click to expand...

If push comes to shove, I might give Comcast another look. I haven't tried their video services in over a decade. But never again DTV. Besides, the death rattle can be heard from them around the world. Hard to say until faced with the decision though. Might just dump it all and go OTA.

edit: there/their
 
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SandboxGeneral said:
Sticking with what I have.
  • Netflix
  • Criterion Channel (Forgot to mention I have this in another thread someplace recently).
  • Amazon Prime (But I never use it since it's not even installed).
  • YouTube (Free)
I have little desire to subscribe to anything else. Feels like nickel and diming to death and too many places to look for what I might want to watch.

Cutting the cord seems to have come full circle and is now a detriment to its own existence. There is far too much fragmentation and it seems to be getting worse as companies pull their content from some platforms to release their own streaming service.

Traditional cable/satellite carriages seem to be the way to go again if you want one place to find all the stuff you watch without having to pay separate bills for it all. Though, I'm not going that route again either. I hate commercials too much to pay for them.
Click to expand...
The balance act is the fact there is so much new content, not available through your cable provider, I think Cable Companies who function as distributors, like Roku, or Apple TV are in deep trouble, because customers were already rebelling against high cable prices. You can only squeeze so much blood out of a turnip. And I want my streaming content which I can’t get through the cable without the extra subscriptions, at least I don’t think so. So I predict a reckoning is coming.

And I won’t be surprised if my internet pricing goes up. I’m going to start seeking alternatives, but the problem is as far as I know, that Suddenlink, the cable company has a lock on high speed Internet in my neighborhood. Other options are not nearly as fast.
 
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Huntn said:
The balance act is the fact there is so much new content, not available through your cable provider, I think Cable Companies as who function as distributors, like Roku, or Apple TV are in deep trouble, because customers were already rebelling against high cable prices. You can only squeeze so much blood out of a turnip. And I want my streaming content which I can’t get through the cable without the extra subscriptions, at least I don’t think so. So I predict a reckoning is coming.

And I won’t be surprised if my internet pricing goes up. I’m going to start seeking alternatives, but the problem is as far as I know, that Suddenlink, the cable company has a lock on high speed Internet in my neighborhood. Other options are not nearly as fast.
Click to expand...
My cable Internet bill did go up another $4 this month. They don't give a reason, it just goes up. I didn't get any higher speeds either. I just get to pay more for the same thing. I think it's their annual increase that randomly appears. The last time they did this it was in the springtime.

It'll be interesting to see how the cable companies TV divisions cope with all of these non-stop market changes and us fickle customers who can signup for and cancel a streaming service on a whim who doesn't go back to the traditional models.

I for one, am at the point in my life that I could easily do without TV and do without the few streaming services I currently have. Between my work, which I enjoy, reading books, listening to music and all the other things I do I can get by without watching TV if I have to.
 
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SandboxGeneral said:
My cable Internet bill did go up another $4 this month. They don't give a reason, it just goes up. I didn't get any higher speeds either. I just get to pay more for the same thing. I think it's their annual increase that randomly appears. The last time they did this it was in the springtime.

It'll be interesting to see how the cable companies TV divisions cope with all of these non-stop market changes and us fickle customers who can signup for and cancel a streaming service on a whim who doesn't go back to the traditional models.

I for one, am at the point in my life that I could easily do without TV and do without the few streaming services I currently have. Between my work, which I enjoy, reading books, listening to music and all the other things I do I can get by without watching TV if I have to.
Click to expand...

Spectrum? My Spectrum internet is going up by $4 too.....

I ditched the box this year and now have:

Spectrum Choice: can stream about 30 channels via the Spectrum app
Netflix
Prime
HBO Now (probably dropping after I binge a few shows)
YouTube. Free (I probably watch this more than anything)
Pluto TV. Free (can always find something to watch)
 
Dropped my local cable a couple years ago. I miss my local stations, but now I read the newspaper more!

Interested is seeing more baseball, but not enough to pay for an MLB subscription. Probably going to add Disney+. Apple+ holds no allure for us.

The radio is on way more than the TV, so I need to look into SiriusXM for the house.
 
Right now, I am subscribed to Netflix, TV+ (free for 1 year), and amazon prime (mainly for the free prime delivery). Not really breaking the bank in any way.
 
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I went down to Spectrum Choice ( my version is 10 channels, plus local channels ) knocked almost a $100 of what I was paying. I have Hulu from last year when Hulu had a .99 a month offer for one year, Netflix because I wanted to watch the Marvel shows, and Amazon Prime because I order quite a bit.

I had DC Universe for 3 months to watch Young Justice, but DC universe adopted the CBS Access plan with Star Trek, where they show half a season. They then break for a few months then return. Smart idea to stretch out a commitment if you are into one show, but they don't advertise it that way. Pissed me off, so I haven't gone back. Went to New York Comic Con, and of course dealers had bootleg DVDs of all the seasons of DC Universe shows. When all of Young Justice is available for me to buy I'll be getting that. Which is how I think I will approaching all the single series I want to see, that are scattered amongst the various streaming services now.

I did get Disney+ when they made that $3 a month deal for 3 years. So I'll be watching Marvel series again.
 
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ejb190 said:
Dropped my local cable a couple years ago. I miss my local stations, but now I read the newspaper more!

Interested is seeing more baseball, but not enough to pay for an MLB subscription. Probably going to add Disney+. Apple+ holds no allure for us.

The radio is on way more than the TV, so I need to look into SiriusXM for the house.
Click to expand...
The only services we stay subscribed full time is Basic cable, Sling, Netflix, and Amazon, because we watch the second and third one all the time and we need the first one to get a package discount on our internet. The third one has prime delivery and a good selection of shows. Everything else will be binge subscribed, because there is just not enough content. I remember when we used to subscribe to HBO full time for just two shows and Showtime for one show, because they were the only outlets to stream new movies. Those days are over when their movie selection quality plummeted with streaming competition, and it became easier to subscribe and unsubscribe without talking to anyone.

Now won’t it be ironic if all these subscription channels have to band together to offer packages? 🤔
 
I'm not really into subscriptions. The only subs I pay are for SiriusXM and Apple Music.

I get my TV on Xfinity along with my internet and home security. The only problem I have with Xfinity is that they are removing Starz from all packages that included it and in December, it will be an add-on. Most times when I watched an on demand movie, it was on Starz so it will be greatly missed. I'm torn on deciding whether to cancel my Xfinity service because of this but then I'll pay more for my Xfinity Mobile and will no longer be able to buy phones or add lines if I do. They know how to lock you in.

I pay for Amazon Prime only occasionally when I know I'll order several things in one month and then cancel.

I use my Apple TV for downloaded movies and for shows and movies bought in iTunes. Not interested one bit in Apple TV+. I don't even pay for iCloud storage.
 
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