Future of Cable TV

Quote: reno

Why haven't more people switched to Sling?

Not available in Mexico.

Quote:

My theory is that people just don't know about it, they don't advertise it much.

On the other hand, I may not have heard if it is :)

There is some PlayStation TV thing called PlayStation VUE that has a nice looking lineup for what I think is a good price.

Less advertised so far, and not quite released yet, is AT&T's DirecTV Now.

Vue is more expensive than sling, and direct now is more expensive than Vue, but with each service there are more channels available.

I was considering the 2nd channel tier from Vue, but their specs say they want a 10 GB connection, and I only have 1.5.

Quite a difference from Netflix, which only requires 0.5.

Quote: reno

I just spent some time looking at the list of channels available on Sling TV. It's impressive, and you have the option of adding groups of channels for an additional $5/month or even HBO for $15.

Why haven't more people switched to Sling?

It's such an incredible value compared to cable or satellite. My theory is that people just don't know about it, they don't advertise it much.

Sling TV has about a million subscribers. The $20 orange option (i.e. Disney/ESPN option) gives you only one active stream at a time and no network television. Obviously it is a very good option for the single person. Especially if you can pull in network television on the antenna.

1. TBS,
2. TNT,
3. AMC,
4. BBC America,
5. Comedy Central,
6. A&E,
7. Food Network,
8. HGTV,
9. History,
10. IFC,
11. Lifetime,
12. Bloomberg,
13. CNN,
14. Local Now by The Weather Channel,
15. Travel Channel,
16. Adult Swim,
17. Cartoon Network,
    ---------
18. Newsy, (News reporting for millenials)
19. Maker, (http://www.makerstudios.com/)
20. Polaris TV, (http://www.polarisbymaker.com/)
21. Viceland (personal perspectives)
    ---------
22. El Rey, (El Rey Network is an English language American television channel targeting Latino audiences. )
23. Flama, (Flama is a digital network created by, for and starring young Latinos. )
24. Univision,
25. UniMas,
26. Galavisión,
    
    Orange
27. Disney Channel,
28. ESPN,
29. ESPN2,
30. ESPN3,
31. Freeform

My new neighbor has a wife and four young children and he got Sling TV (in particular because it saved him having to wire the home which had never been wired for television. He had to buy the "blue option" for $25 as it permits up to 3 simultaneous streams.

Blue (replaces orange networks)
1. Fox (local station)*, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Detroit, Gainesville FL, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington D.C.
2. NBC(local station)*†,Chicago, New York, San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth, Washington, DC, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, and Hartford/New Haven.
   ....
3. Nick Jr.,
4. Bravo,
5. Syfy,
6. truTV,
7. USA Network.
8. FX,
9. FXX,
10. National Geographic Channel,
11. Nat Geo Wild,
12. FOX On-Demand,
13. AXS TV,
14. Cheddar,
    ....
15. Comcast SportsNet,
16. NBC Sports Network,
17. Fox Sports 1,
18. Fox Sports 2,
19. Fox Sports Networks**,
20. NFL Network,

Sling has a wide range of streaming devices (Apple, Roku, FireTV, Android)

Quote: Dalex64

Less advertised so far, and not quite released yet, is AT&T's DirecTV Now.

DirectTV Now should be released on Friday. It should be $35 for a single ACTIVE stream and offer 100+ channels (a lot more than sling). But in addition the real attraction will be "zero rating" if you have an AT&T cellular service (i.e. tablet or phone). By "zero rating" I mean you are not charged for data. AT&T is hoping to make loyal cellular customers, but analysts feel that they won't be able to sustain $35 price for long as the margins are too thin.

DirectTV Now will offer cloud DVR and Video On Demand services which SlingTV does not offer.

It is possible that this new service will be massively popular and blow away SlingTV which is now 21 months old.

Quote: Nareed

Quote: reno

Why haven't more people switched to Sling?

Not available in Mexico. On the other hand, I may not have heard if it is :)

Spanish language streaming services have been a big hit as they are often very inexpensive.

While “Paquete Total,” “Paquete Esencial,” Colombia and España are single-stream, customers can purchase two additional streams for $5 per month, enabling them to watch on up to three separate devices at the same time.

Following is a breakdown of all Sling Latino offerings:

Paquete Total is $12 per month and includes: Univision, UniMás, Galavisión, Univision Deportes Network, beIN Sports en Español, Azteca, Az Clic, Cinelatino, De Película, De Película Clásico, BabyTV, Cbeebies, Pasiones, NTN24, Univision tlnovelas, Az Corazón, Telehit, Bandamax, FOROtv, TeleFórmula, with AZ Cinema and Teleromántica coming soon.

Paquete Esencial is $7 per month and includes: Azteca, Az Clic, Cinelatino, De Película, De Película Clásico, BabyTV, Cbeebies, beIN Sports en Español, Pasiones, Univision tlnovelas, Az Corazón, Telehit, Bandamax, FOROtv. AZ Cinema and Teleromántica will be added soon.

Colombia Pack is $7 per month and is available as a standalone pack, or as an add-on to “Paquete Total,” “Paquete Esencial” or the “Best of Live TV” English core pack. It includes Nuestra Tele and NTN24, with RCN Novelas coming soon.

España Pack is $7 per month and is available as a standalone pack, or as an add-on to “Paquete Total,” “Paquete Esencial” or the “Best of Live TV” English core pack. It includes Antena 3 and TV Española Internacional. MIS Películas and SupereÑe will be coming soon.

AT&T's "DirectTV Now" has scheduled a big presentation for November 28th in New York to launch it's competitor to existing over-the-top (OTT) internet television service to SlingTV (starting $20) and PaystationVue(starting $30) .

Advance notice says 100+ HD channels for $35. SlingTV or Vue offer far fewer channels. Other details will be revealed on November 28th. Reception systems will be computers, fireTV, AppleTV, (not Roku initially), and Android TV. Also the service will be "zero rated" if you have AT&T post paid cellular.

Cable TV starts at $85 where I am located. So the $35 seems much cheaper, unless you would be charged that base price for each person. Obviously they are hoping to convert people who do not currently have cable TV and are hoping to attract single people. Homes with two or more viewers are less likely to find this offer attractive.

Quote: Pacomartin

Cable TV starts at $85 where I am located. So the $35 seems much cheaper, unless you would be charged that base price for each person. Obviously they are hoping to convert people who do not currently have cable TV and are hoping to attract single people. Homes with two or more viewers are less likely to find this offer attractive.

$35 is getting closer to what I would accept in price, but while I would have jumped a few years ago now not so sure. 100 channels means I will watch about 5. I keep thinking more and more that low end is what they need to bring the cutters back.

Still have cable for live sports

Streaming services, I now bounce around due to content
Started on Netflix, binged on Breaking Bad, Saul and Dexter
Ended Netflix and went to Amazon binging on OZ and the Wire
Ended Amazon, went back to Netflix to binge Ice Pilots
Now ending Netflix and going with HBO NOW to binge Game of Thrones "-)

Quote: terapined

Still have cable for live sports

Streaming services, I now bounce around due to content
Started on Netflix, binged on Breaking Bad, Saul and Dexter
Ended Netflix and went to Amazon binging on OZ and the Wire
Ended Amazon, went back to Netflix to binge Ice Pilots
Now ending Netflix and going with HBO NOW to binge Game of Thrones "-)

So hard to believe OZ is 20 years old. I would never have voted to convict Schillinger for beating the street dealer.

Quote: AZDuffman

100 channels means I will watch about 5. I keep thinking more and more that low end is what they need to bring the cutters back.

Sling TV has been selling this limited option for $20 for about two years.
BBC America
A&E
AMC
CNN
TBS & TNT
Comedy Central
Food Network
HGTV
Travel Channel
History
IFC
Lifetime
Cartoon Network
The Weather Channel

Disney Option
ESPN
ESPN2
ESPN3
Freeform.
Disney Channel

I get 400 channels and watch about 10,
most not on a regular basis. They are
all on basic cable but then I would
lose On Demand, which I use all the
time. The only thing I watch in real
time is cable news.