Tag Archives: Satellite TV

Why TV Industry Fears Spread of Millennials’ Viewing Habits (Guest Blog)

photo: The Wrap

Traditional TV is king for Americans as a whole, but that is not the case for all age groups. Our research shows that millennials (age 18-35) watch significantly less traditional TV than do older non-millennials. Non-millennials (those over 35) watch almost 2.5 times more traditional TV than millennials do (32 percent vs. 13 percent). Rather than watch TV, millennials are much more active with OTT services, spending 20 percent of their media consumption on OTT services (vs. just 9 percent for older non-millennials) and 12 percent on video games (vs. 7 percent for older non-millennials; apparently Candy Crush is still quite popular with boomers). – Dan Schechter, L.E.K. Consulting via The Wrap

Here is One More Reason to Stop Renting Your Modem

You may already know you are renting your modem for about $10 a month, or $120 a year, but you may not know there is an additional hidden fee… So not only are you renting that modem but many states tax such rentals. In Texas you would see an additional $2 a month tax on the modem you are renting. – Cord Cutters News

Sling TV looks to liven up streaming video party

The Internet-delivered subscription video service from satellite TV provider Dish Network will begin official operations Tuesday. The first invites start going out at 12 a.m. ET Tuesday to customers who preregistered on Sling.com.

Everyone else has to wait, but they will get a free one-week trial when the service opens to all customers within the next two weeks. Consumers who don’t have one of the supported Net TV devices such as an Amazon Fire or Roku device can sign up on Sling.com to order a device as part of a subscription package (prices to be announced). – Mike Snider, USA TODAY

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HBO Standalone Streaming Will Drive Growth For Time Warner In 2015 And 2016

I see a drastic shift in Premium Cable viewing because HBO is going to offer a streaming service that doesn’t require you to sign up for cable with any of the traditional cable brands such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable or DirecTV. Think of it; instead of paying that cable and internet bill of more than $100 per month, you would simply use your internet TV to subscribe directly to HBO. This move by HBO is so drastic, that cable companies are already taking the appropriate steps to change the billing plans/packages with the hope that HBO’s new streaming service doesn’t create too much churn. – Jon Faibvre, Seeking Alpha
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Who Will Own Cable’s Content Security?

The cable industry isn’t against the idea of downloadable security, but there are debates about how it should be standardized and deployed. Cisco Systems Inc. (previously Scientific Atlanta) and Arris Group Inc. (previously Motorola) have dominated the conditional access (CA) market for decades. However, widespread adoption of a new downloadable conditional access system (DCAS) could change the power dynamics significantly. – Mari Silbey, Light Reading 
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The golden age of cord-cutting is upon us. Don’t let scare tactics tell you otherwise

What you’re witnessing is the first few cracks in the mighty cable paywall […] Naysayers would have you believe otherwise. They actually think that big, bloated cable bundles are a great deal, and that dismantling them leaves us in no better shape than before. But that only makes sense in a world where people are constantly glued to their televisions. Times change, one size doesn’t fit all, and the fearmongers will be proven wrong. […] The problem is that this system promotes excess and bloat. When the NFL asks ESPN for more money to carry Monday Night Football, that cost gets passed onto the cable company, which passes it onto you. To jack up costs even more, a network with lots of channels, like Viacom, may only sell them to the cable company as a package deal, thus encouraging them to add more. Meanwhile, the cable company, trying to protect its profits, hikes its rates, invents new fees, and makes subscribers pay the company’s excise taxes. Suddenly, your cable bill is far outpacing the rate of inflation, even as your viewing habits stay the same. […] Predictably, the arrival of new streaming options has provoked plenty of fearmongers and cable apologists—people who want to scare you into thinking we’re on a bad path. Be careful what you wish for, they say, because a la carte is going to be a lot more expensive than buying a big fat cable bundle. – Jared Newman,TechHive

New Slingbox Makes Streaming Cable TV to Your Gadgets Easier Than Ever | Gadget Lab | WIRED

Today, [EchoStar] announced a new entry-level Slingbox as well as a rebranded version of the higher-end Slingbox 500. The former, the Slingbox M1, doesn’t offer a huge jump in terms of functionality over the Slingbox 350 it replaces—bad for potential upgraders, but good for those who feared Aereo’s defeat would have an immediate chilling effect. […] You can change channels while you’re watching the feed away from home, and the approach to doing so is pretty antiquated. There’s an IR emitter built into the M1, as well as an included emitter cable that gives you more flexibility when you’re positioning it. When you change the channel via the Slingbox app, you’re literally changing the channel at home. Literally meaning literally. – Tim Moynihan, WIRED  http://ift.tt/W8IGuZ