Contributors   |   Messages   |   Polls   |   Resources   |  
Comments
dmendyk
dmendyk
3/28/2017 10:08:47 AM
User Rank
Platinum
We all know this guy
A family friend is notoriously ... frugal. Two years ago, he was tired of paying Kabletown for dozens of junk channels he never watched. So he cut the cord and went entirely OTT, with an antenna for local channels. He ended up spending more and having to do without some stuff he used to watch. A month or so ago, he went back to K-town for a skinny package. Cord reattached -- with a Netflix tack-on.

50%
50%
Joe Stanganelli
Joe Stanganelli
3/28/2017 10:45:21 AM
User Rank
Author
Re: We all know this guy
@dmendyk: Yes, it's pretty difficult to transition from the cord to 100% OTT and *not* have to give some things up.

When I cut the cord years ago, I think I missed my favorites on the Food Network the most.

There are a bunch of other benefits to just-turn-on-the-TV-and-be-done-with-it cable, too -- which I dearly missed.  I'm glad to have it back now.

50%
50%
vnewman
vnewman
3/28/2017 5:02:11 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: We all know this guy
If you order something a la carte, typically the reason you do so is that you don't want as much as is in the full version and it is typically cheaper!  It's implied in the nature of a la carte.  But once you start adding up a side salad, plus the steak, plus the potato, it's more economic to buy the meal even if the salad will go to waste - same concept here right?

50%
50%
afwriter
afwriter
3/28/2017 6:44:18 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: We all know this guy
So true, It doesn't have to be more expensive if you have an idea of what you want before you start ordering.

50%
50%
dcawrey
dcawrey
3/28/2017 5:26:25 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: We all know this guy
Making people choose is never easy. I say this because whenever I go to Subway I feel like people struggle with all the options. 

The content industry should take heed. Both should reduce the overall available number of toppings if you ask me. 

50%
50%
elizabethv
elizabethv
3/29/2017 5:32:03 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: We all know this guy
@dcawrey - I suppose that's a fair point as well. Decision-fatigue. A lot of people probably are over-whelmed by the sheer number of choices. Which almost makes skinny bundles the more lucrative, and preferable option for companies to go down, even if a lot of people think they'd prefer a la carte. I have to wonder too, in an a la carte world, what exactly would happen to all of those poor, poor infomercial channels.... would they get tacked on with another channel to help potentially lower the a la carte price, or would they just take their leave? I can't imagine anyone actually choosing to have those channels..... 

50%
50%
freehe
freehe
3/30/2017 8:05:13 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Selecting For Us
I do not understand why it is so hard for telco companies to realize that customers want what they want, not what the companies want. When companies first started they focused on the customers, their wants and needs, future needs. Now since many companies actually generate a profit they suddenly believe that technology can tell them what customers want or that they know what customers want without ever asking them. Sigh!

 

50%
50%
freehe
freehe
3/30/2017 8:06:15 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Cord Cutting
Continue to cut the cut the cord. Continue to find alternative methods of viewing content. They maybe just maybe the telco companies will realize, hey maybe we should ask the customers what they want. I can dream can't I. LOL!

50%
50%
freehe
freehe
3/30/2017 8:07:53 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: We all know this guy
@elizabethv, I love your comments. Yes what will happen to those corny shows that come on at 2am or 3am, the infomercials, shopping channels and other shows not worth wathcing. LOL!

50%
50%
dcawrey
dcawrey
3/30/2017 1:11:41 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: We all know this guy
@elizabethv I would be okay with making up my own bundle from a menu. 

At the same time, it's clear that's not going to be a great option for everyone going forward... some people do like packages! 

50%
50%
elizabethv
elizabethv
3/30/2017 9:10:41 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: We all know this guy
@dcawrey - If only it wouldn't really complicate things to let everyone do what they are most comfortable with. Some customers get a la carte, some get skinny bundles, and others keep the fatty bundles they currently have (and enjoy?) Even the few companies that are trying skinny bundles are apparently not having much success with them. Letting customers experience new products with the ability to go back to the fatty bundles they are accustomed to might go a long way for everyone. 

50%
50%
Joe Stanganelli
Joe Stanganelli
3/28/2017 10:51:47 AM
User Rank
Author
Is "watching" active or passive?
"Each respondent watched at least five hours of TV per week and had a residential broadband connection."

These days, I don't know how to respond to that question.  I like to fall asleep to the TV (or online content on my laptop).  How much of that do I count as "watching"?  ;)

50%
50%
ms.akkineni
ms.akkineni
3/28/2017 1:24:43 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Is "watching" active or passive?
@Joe:

Thinking in similar lines, I would say that 5 hours per week  is no where near. I know it would be more TV / online content time running in the background even if we are not watching watching kind of... 

50%
50%
elizabethv
elizabethv
3/28/2017 5:24:59 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Is "watching" active or passive?
ms. akkineni - I fall in that category. Something seems amiss in my house if the TV isn't on. That doesn't mean anyone is watching it, or even close to paying attention. My kids typically play whatever games they want, I go about cleaning, or tending to them. But the TV is on regardless. Heck, it's running right now and they're all asleep in front of it. 

50%
50%
ms.akkineni
ms.akkineni
4/26/2017 4:45:44 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Is "watching" active or passive?
@elizabeth:

I am with you, our household exactly follow similar pattern. We have TV running all the time we are home. It is very funny that my husband falls asleep in the couch some times. When i try turing off the TV he tends to be out of his sleep to switch it on back and would fall asleep again.

50%
50%
afwriter
afwriter
3/28/2017 6:45:50 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Is "watching" active or passive?
Is watching ever passive anymore? I am sure for a select few it is, but I feel like we are all always doing something else, even if it is live-posting about the show we are watching.

50%
50%
elizabethv
elizabethv
3/28/2017 10:45:06 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Is "watching" active or passive?
@afwriter - Live posting is just another aspect of media today that is probably something I never would have dreamed of. Earlier today my kids fell asleep watching a movie, so I ended up being the one at least kind of watching it. And then I even ended up posting to Facebook that I was the one watching the movie, while my kids were sleeping. Why do we share these details on Facebook? I'm not even the kind of person that collects friends on Facebook. Every person I am friends with I have met face-to-face, and had met face-to-face prior to being friends with them on Facebook. Still, I felt these people needed to know that my kids had fallen asleep while watching a movie, and then I was left watching the movie. 

50%
50%
afwriter
afwriter
3/28/2017 11:15:41 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Is "watching" active or passive?
"When you're kid leaves the room and you realize that you have been watching Super Why by yourself for 10 minutes."

Seriously though, I think it is just in our social nature now. We have been programmed to think that other people care about what we're doing, where we are, and what we're eating. Social media companies have done a great job at convincing us of this.

50%
50%
freehe
freehe
3/30/2017 8:10:28 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Is "watching" active or passive?
@afwriter, Yes they have. When I first created my social media platforms I logged on everyday sometimes multiple times a day. Now I log on about once a week if that. I do not care what someone else is doing, watching, buying, eating, sharing and I am not telling anyone those things about myself. Plus I still like communicating via phone to my friends and family.

50%
50%
freehe
freehe
3/30/2017 8:12:26 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Is "watching" active or passive?
@afwriter, also social media and internet usage has taken up on average 2-5 hours per day of time people use to spend with their family, friends, work, and other activities. I liked it when people were more empathetic and had more patience. Social media makes some people crazy, needy, selfish and cruel - or maybe they were already like that and social media exemplified their behavior. LOL!

50%
50%
clrmoney
clrmoney
3/28/2017 10:55:40 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Bring A La Carte prices down
Maybe they should bring the price down in stead of $66.00 a month and be a more more reasonable price for consumers.

50%
50%
ms.akkineni
ms.akkineni
3/28/2017 1:31:14 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Bring A La Carte prices down
@clmoney:

Can't agree more with you. That price cut is something that everyone is looking forward to.

50%
50%
dmendyk
dmendyk
3/28/2017 1:39:24 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Bring A La Carte prices down
Maybe content producers and distributors are more interested in making a profit than in making sure their customers get exactly what they want at the price they want to pay.

50%
50%
ms.akkineni
ms.akkineni
3/28/2017 2:35:14 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Bring A La Carte prices down
@dmendyk:

Ofcourse they are, nothing to doubt there. But they have to think of hitting a balance. 

50%
50%
afwriter
afwriter
3/28/2017 6:48:14 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Bring A La Carte prices down
They have to make money somehow. We need to remember that this kind of programming is still in its infancy as well. I am sure we will see many a la carte and skinny bundles come and go until the market is saturated (which it is arguably already.)

50%
50%
afwriter
afwriter
3/28/2017 6:48:14 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Bring A La Carte prices down
They have to make money somehow. We need to remember that this kind of programming is still in its infancy as well. I am sure we will see many a la carte and skinny bundles come and go until the market is saturated (which it is arguably already.)

50%
50%
elizabethv
elizabethv
3/28/2017 5:21:20 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Not that bad....
$66 for 19ish channels of your own choosing, I honeslty don't see that as that bad. It's about what I was paying for cable before I cut the cord, and I had an absurd number of channels I was never watching, and some channels I would have liked to have. I might consider paying that price for all channels I would actually want to watch. Of course, I'm pretty happy with my cord cutting decision at this point, but realistically, I don't think the price is really all that high. Esepcially not for getting exactly what you want. Though, in my opinion, I'm confused why people were including Netflix in their plan. If you're going to have Netflix, why aren't you just cutting the cord? 

50%
50%
afwriter
afwriter
3/30/2017 10:12:10 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Not that bad....
With all of Netflix's original programming they are basically another TV station themselves

50%
50%
troyhiatt
troyhiatt
3/30/2017 6:07:42 PM
User Rank
Steel
Re: Not that bad....
Now YouTube wants me to pay them for "Orignal Content". Kind of a weird time. I just keep calling Uverse and asking for a lower bill, they keep giving me more channels and lowering the bill. Works for me!

50%
50%
dcawrey
dcawrey
3/30/2017 7:07:19 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Not that bad....
@troyhiatt I think YouTube is getting people to pay for that! Pretty much the definition of cord cutting if you ask me. 

50%
50%


Latest Articles
Italy's 5G auction could exceed a government target of raising €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion) after attracting interest from companies outside the mobile market.
The emerging-markets operator is focusing on the humdrum business of connectivity and keeping quiet about some of its ill-fated 'digitalization' efforts.
Three UK has picked Huawei over existing radio access network suppliers Nokia and Samsung to build its 5G network.
Vendor says that it's its biggest 5G deal to date.
Verizon skates where the puck is going by waiting for standards-based 5G devices to launch its mobile service in 2019.
On-the-Air Thursdays Digital Audio
Orange has been one of the leading proponents of SDN and NFV. In this Telco Transformation radio show, Orange's John Isch provides some perspective on his company's NFV/SDN journey.
Special Huawei Video
10/16/2017
Huawei Network Transformation Seminar
The adoption of virtualization technology and cloud architectures by telecom network operators is now well underway but there is still a long way to go before the transition to an era of Network Functions Cloudification (NFC) is complete.
Video
The Small Cell Forum's CEO Sue Monahan says that small cells will be crucial for indoor 5G coverage, but challenges around business models, siting ...
People, strategy, a strong technology roadmap and new business processes are the key underpinnings of Telstra's digital transformation, COO Robyn ...
Eric Bozich, vice president of products and marketing at CenturyLink, talks about the challenges and opportunities of integrating Level 3 into ...
Epsilon's Mark Daley, director of digital strategy and business development, talks about digital transformation from a wholesale service provider ...
Bill Walker, CenturyLink's director of network architecture, shares his insights on why training isn't enough for IT employees and traditional ...
All Videos
Telco Transformation
About Us     Contact Us     Help     Register     Twitter     Facebook     RSS
Copyright © 2024 Light Reading, part of Informa Tech,
a division of Informa PLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms of Use
in partnership with