Comments
elizabethv
1/31/2017 3:40:25 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: Are Reports of Pay Tv's Death Exaggerated
@Adi - that's a little higher than I would have expected. Even with the cord cutting of today. I can see why people would just use laptops, but I suppose their personal living situation would play into this a lot too. I dated a Marine for awhile, and his only source of television was from his laptop, and this was about 8 years ago or so. It was just easier for him, even though he was a lucky enough to have his own barracks room, he was still moved around enough that he preferred to just keep the laptop for easy setup, instead of worrying about a ton of extra gadgets every time he had to pack up and move. For my family though, it's nice to have the television, because we still sit down in the living room with our kids and watch movies and TV shows. Though I also know families that prefer not to have a TV, to keep their kids from being tempted. To each their own.
Adi
1/31/2017 5:23:37 AM
User Rank Author
Re: Are Reports of Pay Tv's Death Exaggerated
elizabethtv - it used to be about 5-7% pre-OTT. That's probably gone up a bit now with more people not only cutting the cord, but simply using their laptops to view videos. I would guess it's just about the 10% mark or maybe a little under.
Adi
1/31/2017 5:21:32 AM
User Rank Author
Re: Are Reports of Pay Tv's Death Exaggerated
Ariella - If that content is not from the BBC then I think they would be exempt. But if they stream BBC content to their phone, laptop, tablet, STB...or anything really, they have to pay. I'm not a legal expert, but that is my understanding of the law.
I don't actually know of anyone who has had their home searched though it's certainly possible. But info is usually collected at the store - if you buy a TV or sign up for a pay-TV service, they get your information from there.
elizabethv
1/30/2017 6:51:28 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: Are Reports of Pay Tv's Death Exaggerated
This conversation about the tax for BBC is really interesting. Given the recent cuts of NPR and PBS by the Federal Government, I wonder if we could push for such a thing to continue funding them. It also then makes me curious about the number of households in the US that don't have a television at all. I know a few people that don't but I'd be curious to see a percentage.
elizabethv
1/30/2017 6:44:29 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: Not Dead Yet
@dcawrey - That's interesting that you weren't that impressed with HBO Now, I'm really enjoying having it. Mostly for their movie selection though, not as much for their original content, outside of Game of Thrones. I would think if HBO Now was really working THAT well for them though, that other cable companies would start following suit and doing the same thing. That they are makes me wonder if the profit just isn't there yet for such a thing.
elizabethv
1/30/2017 6:38:36 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: Are Reports of Pay Tv's Death Exaggerated
@srufuolo1 - Comcast is HORRIBLE! I only have their internet because I literally have no other choice. And you're right, it's a pretty popular opinion that their customer service is terrible. There's a meme going around that if you want to solve the drug epidemic in this country you should make drugs legal but force everyone to get them through Comcast Customer Service. Might actually be an effective method. :-)
elizabethv
1/30/2017 6:35:56 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: Not Dead Yet
@afwriter - You really don't need to rely on pay-TV for Walking Dead and Game of Thrones either. I watch both shows and ditched Pay-TV about two years ago. Of course I dont watch them as they air, but realistically if that was that important to someone, even Sling would solve that problem. At least for Walking Dead. My husband and I were rarely ever able to watch anything when it was actually on, so switching to streaming wasn't that big a deal. Personally, I think I'm one of the few people in the world that isn't the least bit bothered by spoilers (actually I seek them out) so other people seeing it before me doesn't change a thing. I'm really confused by the people who are bothered by spoilers and then check the Facebook pages of the shows they watch before they've seen the latest episode. Sorry, you're just asking for them if that's what you're doing.
elizabethv
1/30/2017 6:21:37 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: Are Reports of Pay Tv's Death Exaggerated
To some extent, these numbers REALLY surprise me. Though to some extent, I would think most people who plan to cut the cord have already done so. And as a cord cutter, good grief! $60 a month for your cable! Eek! I recently just ditched Sling because we didn't use it enough to warrant an extra $20. Though we are using a free month of HBO that I am considering keeping, because for $15 a month, the movies are actually pretty decent and give my kids the change up I wasn't enjoying as much with Sling, since Sling also included commercials which I really try to avoid with my kids, because they already ask for enough without the help of advertisers. And HBO is nice because I can access it through Amazon, so it doesn't require any extra manuevering on my part. I guess I'm just a committed cord cutter though, so I don't really understand the desire to pay $60 a month for anything. Even if I keep HBO I'll only be a regular bill of $25. (My Prime I don't really count since I pay for that once a year and it also nets me a ridiculous number of significantly cheaper products mailed to me with free shipping.)
Ariella
1/30/2017 1:08:30 PM
User Rank Author
Re: Are Reports of Pay Tv's Death Exaggerated
@Adi so if someone in the UK streams content to a mobile device but does not watch programming on a TV, that person could be exempt? I have read references to seraches of homes for undeclared television sets owned by people who don't pay the tax. Does that actually happen?
Adi
1/30/2017 11:50:47 AM
User Rank Author
Re: Are Reports of Pay Tv's Death Exaggerated
Ariella - That's right, there is a BBC license fee, which is essentially a tax on every household with a TV. It was expanded last year to include users of the BBC's on-demand streaming services (BBC iPlayer) which are very popular in the UK. I think if you don't have a TV set or pay-TV connection and never, ever stream content from the BBC, then you wouldn't need a license. Even if you were using other streaming services.
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