[mythtv-users] US Pay-TV loses subscribers for the first time ever

[Brian Long]

On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 4:04 PM, Brian Wood <beww at beww.org> wrote:
> On Monday, August 23, 2010 01:47:25 pm Dan Wilga wrote:
>> On 8/23/10 3:37 PM, Phil Bridges wrote:
>> > On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 3:31 PM, Ross Campbell<ross.campbell at gmail.com>  wrote:
>> >> "SNL Kagan, which tracks trends in the U.S. multichannel market --
>> >> cable, telcos, satellite, etc. -- says the market had its "worst
>> >> performance on record" in the second quarter of this year. Pay TV
>> >> subscribers hit 100.1 million in Q2, down from 100.4 million in Q1."
>> >
>> > Couldn't this have something to do with the number of unemployed
>> > people that have realized that pay TV is not a necessity?
>>
>> That, and the fact that lots of people are switching to Internet-only
>> (Hulu et al) methods for receiving their entertainment.
>
> I know many people who have moved to Netflix "Watch Instantly", it's probably the easiest way for non-technical people to
> get into some form of internet-delivered video. Many Blu-Ray players have this capability, and devices can be had for
> under $100 that will allow it. Getting Hulu into your TV set is not something most people want to, or can, get working.
>
> When money gets tight pay-TV is one of the first things people get rid of, and Netflix is cheaper than going to the video
> rental store, and you also get unlimited network streaming.
>
> Of course they will run up against the ISP's limits on downloads if they watch Netflix a lot.

I'd be one to admit that since Netflix "Watch Instantly" has supported
the Wii, my MythTV frontends have seen less use.  At this time, I'm
more likely to watch a movie on demand via Netflix than some TV show I
recorded with MythTV.  Considering all the hardware outlay for a
decent MythTV system, I was kind-of sad when I realized this.  I
believe things will change when new seasons get rolling, but that's
how it's been for the summer months.

/Brian/