End of TV season (who gets axe)

Quote: Evenbob

I like it because I wasn't into computers at
all in the 80's, I barely knew they existed.
I'm amazed at how advanced they were.
I got one in 92 solely to get on the net,
such as it was then. My wife should have
had one early for her business, I had to
drag her into it kicking and screaming in
98. She was terrified of computers, but took
to it like a duck to water.

It was a glorious time. In high school the courses were easy as there were like 6 of us and the teachers were designing the courses as we were taking them so you got away with a lot. Girls thought you were a genius if you knew how help them with things when things went FUBAR. Software pirating was not taken serious and Microsoft secretly allowed it to establish dominance. I had so many pirate disks for my C64 it was a joke. We hung out at the computer store who let us play games. Later I was on Telnet, GOPHER, and other things in college and there were maybe 12 of us who knew how to use what was then the net.

And now I get to give a big "BACK IN MY DAY" to the kids who moan and complain about this or that.

Quote: TheCesspit

I'm glad Galavant got cancelled. That was the worst 5 minutes of TV I've seen in years..

The target audience was mostly women. While "Once Upon a Time" was on winter break, they put Galavant on four successive weeks, a relatively rare music themed show. It lost half it's audience after the first week. Since it only lasted 4 weeks it can be considered more of a mini-series, but I am sure had people watched it they would have made more.

Quote: TheCesspit

And I must cancel my cable today...

I'm not sure what all cable TV is like. Our cable system has a very extensive Video on Demand system, but it lacks a modern Netflix style presentation of choices. Instead you are faced with an annoying text based system that is very uninviting. Although if you know exactly what you are looking for you can find it, but it dscourages browsing.

I think Cable simply needs a Netflix style user interface, and it will return to popularity.

Quote: AZDuffman

It was a glorious time. In high school the courses were easy .

In the late 60's there were no computer
classes, there were no home computers.
We took typing class. I saw a guy on a
show the other day in his 20's. They
had to use a typewriter and he had no
idea what to do. They had to show him,
he claimed it was the first one he'd ever
seen. Scary.

Quote: Pacomartin

I'm not sure what all cable TV is like. Our cable system has a very extensive Video on Demand system, but it lacks a modern Netflix style presentation of choices. Instead you are faced with an annoying text based system that is very uninviting. Although if you know exactly what you are looking for you can find it, but it dscourages browsing.

I think Cable simply needs a Netflix style user interface, and it will return to popularity.

Shaw Cable does have a lot of video on demand, and PVRing. Both of which I have used, for NFL games and for shows I liked.

It's just not good value compared to Netflix. That, coupled with the fact I am changing my income streams next month, the value goes down even further.

(I'm taking a side hustle, to borrow a phrase from AZD, and making it a bit more of a main hustle).

Quote: Evenbob

In the late 60's there were no computer
classes, there were no home computers.
We took typing class. I saw a guy on a
show the other day in his 20's. They
had to use a typewriter and he had no
idea what to do. They had to show him,
he claimed it was the first one he'd ever
seen. Scary.

Had a guy on my boss' staff in for an office visit in 1997. While his kids were destroying my office one of my office girls tried to get them to do something constructive. Kid comes in and says the "printer" was not working. What he meant was the Selectric we were still using in 1997 (yeah, I should have quit when I saw we were without PCs in 1995.)

Some offices still have one for various multi-page forms, though that has largely died out.

Quote: Pacomartin

I think Cable simply needs a Netflix style user interface, and it will return to popularity.

If cable can pack video on demand at a Netflix price they have a shot. Or get some news and sports with it. Even with DVR, though, it is really priced out. Factor of 10 vs streaming. Once you switch it is hard to justify going back to cable. My buddy may get it for sports and if he does I may offer to bundle so we both get a cheaper price, though it is doubtful I will wire it downstairs where I live. I don't really miss the news channels anymore.

Quote: AZDuffman

Some offices still have one for various multi-page forms, though that has largely died out.

I still have a nice Olympic typewriter that
I haven't used in 20 years. I can't get rid
of it even though I know I'll never use it
again.

Quote: AZDuffman

If cable can pack video on demand at a Netflix price they have a shot. Or get some news and sports with it. Even with DVR, though, it is really priced out. Factor of 10 vs streaming.

ESPN is worth $40 billion according to a research report this summer from Wunderlich or barely ten times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $3.9 billion. That is roughly $1 / month per capita in the USA.

To some extent Netflix is a hyper efficient video store. You used to be able to rent DVD's of old TV series and binge watch them.

HDTV broadcasts began around November 1998. The first major sporting event broadcast nation wide in HD was Super Bowl XXXIV on January 30, 2000. Who in the year 2000 would have guessed that after 2009 thousands of multiplexed stations would erupt all over the country. I mean this is the oldest no frills kind of TV that exists (standard definition picture quality, lots of commercials, all reruns, no video recording control). ME-TV has almost 200 affiliates the same as a major network.

But the media business in the USA is huge. It isn't going to roll over and die while people spend $8 a month per household watching Netflix.

Quote: Pacomartin

ESPN is worth $40 billion according to a research report this summer from Wunderlich or barely ten times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $3.9 billion. That is roughly $1 / month per capita in the USA.

If cable could be purchased without ESPN for the $7 less the thing is getting per subscriber I estimate it would lose 40-60% of its base. That is a dangerous spot to be in, selling your wares because people are forced to buy it with something else they want.

Quote:

But the media business in the USA is huge. It isn't going to roll over and die while people spend $8 a month per household watching Netflix.

No, it will do like the record industry with Napster and Detroit 1975-2009. It will at first deny the problem exists. It will seek regulatory relief. It will watch its market shrink. It will blame everything under the sun for its problems. Then in the end it will adapt after losing 1/3 to 1/2 of its market.

Quote: AZDuffman

Then in the end it will adapt after losing 1/3 to 1/2 of its market.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/comcast-now-internet-cable-customers-30784076
Comcast Now Has More Internet Than Cable Customers. As of the end of March, there were 22.4 million customers for each. SNL Kagan, a market research firm, estimates that cash flow margins for Internet were 60 percent for cable companies at the end of last year, while video margins were 17 percent.

The article does not say how many have just video or just internet. If it is several million, then Comcast should simply include the channels they own for free if you order internet. Some of the internet only customers will watch NBC, A&E, SyFy, USA (etc.).


Comcast reports Customers (in thousands)
22,375 Video Customers
22,369 High-Speed Internet Customers
11,270 Voice Customers
56,014

8,399*1= 8,399 Single Product Customers
8,890*2= 17,780 Double Product Customers
9,945*3= 29,835 Triple Product Customers
........... = 56,014