Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

[Cobra9777]

Looking at their availability map, I don't see too many locations that would have obvious mountains or valleys to block an OTA signal. Virtually any location can have a problem -with a tall building, hill or other physical barrier that would make OTA reception impossible. With 3 exceptions, all their coverage areas are located in or near very high population urban or suburban zones. I assume that would be their business model. Rural areas don't have a lot of people, and less opportunity for revenue. Also, in rural areas that lack cable, satellite is the normal fallback. They don't have very many local broadcasters to begin with.

I think your assumption is not entirely correct.

If we signed up for cable or satellite, we would be provided the local broadcast stations from DFW. But we are WAY too far from the broadcast towers to pick these up OTA. We're in a suburb, not a rural area. So, it's my understanding that WE are the primary market locast wants to serve, along with some people inside OTA range who just don't want to mess with an antenna.

It's seems to be built on the idea that such consumers should not have to pay exorbitant rebroadcast fees to a cable or satellite provider for what is essentially a free service for those who are a little closer to the towers... or maybe on the other side of a big hill. Federal law provides for free retransmission by non-profits and that's what locast is set up to do. I think their odds of surviving a legal challenge are not particularly good, but probably slightly better than predecessors like Aereo.

We used locast in the past mainly to get PBS live, which at the time, was not carried by any live streaming service. YouTube TV now carries PBS in most markets, including DFW. So I haven't used locast regularly in quite some time.

Although I recently did a trial of locast+Philo+Fitzy TV for $30/mo as a possible alternative to YTTV at $50. It worked fine, but not much cloud DVR capacity, some Philo channels didn't work with Fitzy, and no Fox regional sports.

 

[pb4uski]

I used FitzyTV last summer with my Xfinity credentials from our Florida condo where basic cable is included in our HOA and with our Dish TV credentials to sidestep equipment fees for each tv. I went to use it last week and it seems to no longer accept Xfinity or Dish credentials. Does anyone know why it won't accept those anymore?

I would love some product where I could stream just my locals. While the transmitters are only 30 miles away there is a big-a__ mountain between us and the transmitters.

 

[camfused]

YouTube TV going up by 30%! New price will be $64.99. So glad I did not decide to stick with them earlier this year.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/30/21308449/youtube-tv-price-increase-64-99-viacom-hbo-new-channels


In a blog post announcing the new price and channels, YouTube’s VP of product management Christian Oestlien sympathizes that the increased cost is difficult for some of its members, but that the “new price reflects the rising cost of content and we also believe it reflects the complete value of YouTube TV, from our breadth of content to the features that are changing how we watch live TV.”

Sounds a lot like the BS from the cable companies.

 

[Midpack]

YouTube TV going up by 30%! New price will be $64.99. So glad I did not decide to stick with them earlier this year.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/30/21308449/youtube-tv-price-increase-64-99-viacom-hbo-new-channels


In a blog post announcing the new price and channels, YouTube’s VP of product management Christian Oestlien sympathizes that the increased cost is difficult for some of its members, but that the “new price reflects the rising cost of content and we also believe it reflects the complete value of YouTube TV, from our breadth of content to the features that are changing how we watch live TV.”

Sounds a lot like the BS from the cable companies.

Rut row. Glad I chose Hulu Live instead (now a relative bargain at $55), though they'll undoubtedly increase their prices (again) sooner or later. YTTV added Viacom, I hope Hulu doesn't feel the need to do that. Hulu will add Disney+ and ESPN+ for $6 too, total $62/month - way more attractive to us than the new YTTV. DW is looking forward to watching Hamilton this Friday.

Seems like a very odd time for YTTV to float in increase with almost no live sports, so those channels are useless for the foreseeable future. They must have been working the Viacom (not cheap) deal for quite a while and couldn't back away.

 

[pb4uski]

^^^ Nuts!

I just canceled Dish yesterday.... we had been on vacation and had been using that as an opportunity to trial YTTV for 6 weeks and I finally talked a reluctant DW to switch.

It seems like the treaming services are following the same failed model as the cable companies.... add obscure content that most customers don't care about and increase prices because you are providing "more value".

 

[Midpack]

^^^ Nuts!

I just canceled Dish yesterday.... we had been on vacation and had been using that as an opportunity to trial YTTV for 6 weeks and I finally talked a reluctant DW to switch.

It seems like the treaming services are following the same failed model as the cable companies.... add obscure content that most customers don't care about and increase prices because you are providing "more value".

There was something about tiered pricing in the YTTV release I read, so maybe there will be a skinnier package to come?

 

[pb4uski]

Hulu Live TV is still $55? Looks to be similar but with no PBS (which I can live with since we use the PBS app) and only 2 streams rather than 3.

Or even Hulu Live TV with unlimited screens might fit our needs as well.... same cost, unlimited screens but no PBS.

 

[Cobra9777]

$65. That sucks. Especially since we will never watch any of those new Viacom channels. I was already questioning the value of YTTV at $50, especially given the lack of sports. Plus they don't carry DW's beloved Hallmark channel nor Science and History, which I like. Basically, we just don't watch it very much. We mostly use free YouTube, Netflix, and Prime.

I guess I could switch to Hulu Live for $55, but they'll probably go up soon as well. Plus no PBS and I hated their UI. Or I could resort to my cheapo-DIY combo of Locast+Philo+Fitzy, which is $30/mo. That would get us Hallmark, Science, and History, plus all the locals, and a small amount of cloud DVR. But no sports or news. I think I could live with that for a while. DW will go along. Problem is retraining my 86-year-old DMIL on a new system. And we're all going to want Fox Sports when baseball starts up.

Midpack, I see nothing about tiered pricing. One package, one price.

Damn!

 

[pb4uski]

Cobra, how are you using Fitzy TV these days? I used it a lot last summer with our Xfinity credentials from our winter condo in Florida and it worked good... our Xfinity package included USA, Golf Channel, TNT, etc and use used Fitzy to supplement our skinny Dish TV Welcome Pack programming package.

But I recently tried to use Fitzy TV and it no longer seems to accept my Xfinity credentials, nor my Dish credentials.... all I get are a bunch of close to worthless free channels.

I would love something like Fitzy TV that I could use to get cable using the Xfinity credentials that we already pay for anyway but have yet to find a way to do that. Xfinity Stream looked promising but won't cast to a streaming device unless you are on your home Xfinity network so that's a dead end. I even brought it up on my tablet and tried to cast it to our bigscreen TV and it won't allow that.

 

[pb4uski]

...Midpack, I see nothing about tiered pricing. One package, one price.

Damn!

+1 from their FAQ:

Can I opt out of these new channels and keep my existing monthly price? Our base plan, including new channels, will be automatically rolled out to all new and existing YouTube TV subscribers. We are unable to hold back certain channels and charge a different rate.

I would encourage all YTTV subscribers to Send Feedback (one of the options if you click on your picture in the upper right corner) and complain about this price increase.

 

[Cobra9777]

pb4, I haven't used it since late last year when I did my trial of locast+Philo+Fitzy. I had to enter both my locast and Philo credentials. Both those services worked fine with Fitzy.

I recall having to do some customization of the guide to get rid of a bunch of junky free stuff that just cluttered it up. The customization is only available if you pay (or on a free trial).

I also recall a handful of Philo channels that would not work with Fitzy. I could only access them with the Philo app. Locast worked beautifully.

I would just try it again with a fresh install of Fitzy. It should work with just about any cable system credentials. And do a free trial of Fitzy w/ cloud DVR so you get all the guide customization functionality.

 

[RonBoyd]

YouTube TV going up by 30%! New price will be $64.99. So glad I did not decide to stick with them earlier this year.

Yeah, there are thousands of ATT TV NOW (formerly DirecTV NOW) customers that fell for the YT spiel and are now regretting it (they can't go back). I am still at $35 with ATT TV NOW. for the following (I also subscribe to VIDGO - for the Sports - so there is some duplication):

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Channel ATTTVN VIDGO
ABC* X X
CBS* X X
FOX* X X
NBC* X X
CW* X X
A&E X X
AccuWeather X
ACC Network (ESPN) X X
AMC X
American Heroes Channel X
Animal Planet X X
Aspire X
Audience X
AXS TV X
Baby TV X
Babyfirst TV X
BBC America X
BeIN Sports X
BET X
Big Ten Network X
Bloomberg Television X
Boomerang X
Bravo X
Cartoon Network/Adult Swim X
Cheddar Business X
CMT X X
CMT Music X
Channel ATTTVN VIDGO
CNBC X
CNN X
Comedy Central X X
Cooking Channel X
Curiosity Stream X
C-SPAN X
C-SPAN 2 X
Destination America X
Discovery X X
Discovery Life X
Disney Channel X X
Disney Junior X X
Disney XD X X
E! X
ESPN X X
ESPN 2 X X
ESPN Bases Loaded X
ESPN Goal Line X
ESPN News X X
ESPN U X X
Family Channel X
Food Network X X
Fox Business X X
Fox News Channel X X
FreeForm X X
FS1 X X
FS2 X
FX X X
Channel ATTTVN VIDGO
FXM X
FXX X X
FYI X
Game Show X
Galavision X
GEM Shopping X
Hallmark, Movies X X
HBO X
HBO Family X
HGTV X
History X X
HLN X
HSN X
Investigation Discovery X X
INSP X
Lifetime X X
Lifetime Movies X
Longhorn Network X
MAV TV X
Motortrend X X
MSNBC X
MTV X X
MTV 2 X X
National Geographic X X
NBC Sports Network X
NFL Network X
NFL Network Red Zone
Nick Jr. X X
Nickelodeon X X
Nicktoons X
OAN (One American News) X
Ovation X
Channel ATTTVN VIDGO
OWN X
Pac-12 X
Paramount X X
QVC X
QVC2 X
REELZ X
RFDTV X
Revolt X
Science Channel X
SEC Network X
Showtime X
Showtime2 X
Showtime Extreme X
Stadium X
SyFy X
TBS X
TCM (Turner Classic Movies) X
TeenNick X
Telemundo X
TLC X X
TNT X
Travel Channel X
Tru TV X
TV Land X X
Univision X
UP Family X
USA X
VH1 X X
Viceland X X
WE tv X

ADDENDUM -- HBO Max is also included.

 

[camfused]

Re Hulu TV, I read somewhere recently that that is expected to go up in price too.

Philo is looking better every day. I have Sling right now and will stick with it until the price goes up, then look at Philo again. If they just had TCM too, even in an extras package, Philo would be near ideal (for us).

 

[harllee]

Dang, if You Tube TV keeps going up I may be forced to go back to Spectrum Cable and I HATE Spectrum......

 

[pb4uski]

Dang, if You Tube TV keeps going up I may be forced to go back to Spectrum Cable and I HATE Spectrum......

We have Spectrum Internet and I looked at Spectrum Cable and Spectrum Choice and while the programming cost is reasonable, after you add a DVR and equipment cost for 2 or 3 TVs it is just not competitive with YTTV even with the price increase.

 

[Midpack]

Midpack, I see nothing about tiered pricing. One package, one price.

Damn!

+1 from their FAQ:

I would encourage all YTTV subscribers to Send Feedback (one of the options if you click on your picture in the upper right corner) and complain about this price increase.

Like I said, just sharing what I read, just trying to be supportive/optimistic for YTTV customers here. Oestlien is vice president of product management for YouTube TV.

The increase is somewhat understandable, since YouTube is looking to expand the features and number of channels available on the service. It now hosts more than 70 channels. But the hike may make the monthly cost a little too steep for many people, including those who cut the cord with their cable provider to embrace streaming TV.

There seems to be a tiered subscription model on the way, though. “As the streaming industry continues to evolve, we are working to build new flexible models for YouTube TV users, so we can continue to provide a robust and innovative experience for everyone in your household without the commitments of traditional TV,” Oestlien wrote. It might be difficult to set up à la carte options, however, given the way networks bundle their channels:

https://www.engadget.com/youtube-tv-price-increase-more-channels-175322450.html

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I read the news this afternoon and it looks like they gave no advance notice at all. I can’t get over the air TV where I live so I’m limited in my alternatives.

How does the Hulu Live interface compare these days? When I last subscribed it sucked, nothing like the traditional cable grid and no favorite channels; it would display the last nine stations in the order they were last viewed but that’s it.

 

[explanade]

Meanwhile Comcast is ending it's moratorium on not imposing overages for exceeding the data cap.

AT&T and some others are continuing the elimination of data cap through Sept.

 

[Sojourner]

Can I opt out of these new channels and keep my existing monthly price? Our base plan, including new channels, will be automatically rolled out to all new and existing YouTube TV subscribers. We are unable to hold back certain channels and charge a different rate.

Uh huh. So they're actually claiming that they're "unable" to offer a lower cost package that doesn't contain the pricier new channels? In other words, it's impossible for them to offer a YTTV Basic for $X and a YTTV Premium for $Y? That is beyond laughable for a service owned by Google, one of the most innovative, technologically advanced companies in the world.

I expect we'll be seeing more and more of these outrageous price hikes, coupled with marketing gibberish that feebly attempts to justify them. Ahhh, well. So long, reasonably priced streaming TV... we barely knew ya.

 

[Cobra9777]

Uh huh. So they're actually claiming that they're "unable" to offer a lower cost package that doesn't contain the pricier new channels? In other words, it's impossible for them to offer a YTTV Basic for $X and a YTTV Premium for $Y? That is beyond laughable for a service owned by Google, one of the most innovative, technologically advanced companies in the world...

Of course it is technically possible. What they mean is it's not economically possible, given the price they had to pay Viacom. Evidently the deal only worked if they forced it on everyone for an additional $15.

 

[Cobra9777]

Like I said, just sharing what I read, just trying to be supportive/optimistic for YTTV customers here. Oestlien is vice president of product management for YouTube TV...

Thanks Midpack. That is somewhat/mildly optimistic. But it was the writer of the Engadget story who actually used the words "tiered subscription model." The actual quote from Oestlien is just typical corporate PR double-speak that might mean anything or nothing...

As the streaming industry continues to evolve, we are working to build new flexible models for YouTube TV users, so we can continue to provide a robust and innovative experience for everyone in your household without the commitments of traditional TV.

 

[Chuckanut]

Sounds a lot like the BS from the cable companies.

Are they still charging full price for ESPN when there are virtually no new sporting events to be broadcast?

 

[Chuckanut]

Saints and ministers of grace save us from the entertainment industry.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I would love some product where I could stream just my locals. While the transmitters are only 30 miles away there is a big-a__ mountain between us and the transmitters.

I know Locast serves Sarasota from it's Tampa transmitter but not sure about Vermont if that's what you're looking for. Suggest you try entering your location and check it out, it does not cost anything to try. I'm 100 miles away from Los Angeles and I qualify to receive their signal and get 48 channels at last count. Also if you use a VPN you can change your location. My daughter changed her location every Sunday to get the football game they wanted to watch. If it works for you, a $5 plus 50c Paypal Fee donation stops the annoying donation requests that come up every 15 minutes and always at the wrong time.
https://www.locast.org/

 

[target2019]

I read the news this afternoon and it looks like they gave no advance notice at all. I can’t get over the air TV where I live so I’m limited in my alternatives.

How does the Hulu Live interface compare these days? When I last subscribed it sucked, nothing like the traditional cable grid and no favorite channels; it would display the last nine stations in the order they were last viewed but that’s it.

There is a grid and you can save preferred channels, etc. I only have free Youtube so I can't make a decent comparison.