First let me say, yes, I am a Directv customer. Normally I don't post non-book related posts, but this one would NOT get of out my head until I gave it the attention it was demanding. If you have Directv then you know all about the stand off between these two Gazillion dollar companies. We've lost channels such as MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CMT along with many more. It's not affecting me as much as it is others. I do miss watching Friends reruns at night and Teen Wolf on Monday nights. My kids miss some of their shows on Nickelodeon, but it's not a big deal to them either. What REALLY irritates me is in the end...I and other hard working families will still end up paying! Oh, I know what Directv is saying. They're trying to hold out so there isn't an "unfair" increase in my bill. Uh..."unfair" does NOT equal "no change". Yep, I caught on to that real quick. I know that switching providers isn't the answer. That's giving Viacom what they want in a round about way. What I don't understand is why is Viacom targeting Directv? Did they ask this same price increase from other cable and satellite providers but they just agreed to it without a fight? If you have the answer please let me know. I agree with Forbes. Battles such as this, where the biggest losers are the customers, are just going to make cable TV expendable. If I can pay for internet and pay small fees to get the shows my family watches on the internet then why would I keep cable with all the channels thrown in that I never watch? I can choose to pay for what I DO watch. Another option is I can rent the DVDs of most of the shows when they come out. Sure I might be a season behind but so what! I watch everything weeks later on DVR anyway. What it boils down to is how far are you going to push the customers? With the cost of living going up and the economy still in the dumps I just don't know much more I can afford. I mean I do have a Kindle family to support. So tell me, how do you stop this domino effect?
I agree completely! I'm almost to the point of having our tv turned off completely. The biggest reason we haven't already is the hubby loves Spike, which is one of the channels we no longer have. I really don't think we'd miss it. Not with redbox and netflix streaming to take it's place. And it would save me a huge chunk of cash which would cover my book obsession!!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you posted this! The only channel we really miss is Nick Jr. My youngest really misses Team Umizoomi but you are right about just getting what we want by streaming it. We are still in contract with them right now but if this continues to go on then once we are out of the initial contract then its seee ya wouldn't want bee ya! lol Sorry.
ReplyDeleteI've heard about this. Can't believe you lost ALL those channels and still pay the same price! I don't know why these companies just won't settle with each other: both of their business have to be hurting.
ReplyDeleteWe have been Directv customers for close to ten years. We pay double what we paid each month at the beginning of our service. While we have added DVR, we have no movie channels or special packages. I think you make a good point that internet may eventually end the life of cable which I would think would be a loss for cable providers and groups like Viacom.
ReplyDeleteWe have a digital tv antenna and no satellite or cable! We're out in the boonies and can still pick up 17 channels (all for free)with the antenna in the house! My husband misses the sports channels, but not enough to pay for them. Add Netflix & satellite internet and we are still financially better off than if we were paying the dish/direct/cable bill every month!
ReplyDeleteWe still have another year with DirecTV but then I think we are done with cable...more family time! You can get a "doo hickey" box thingy at Wal-Mart for $60...one time fee...and hook it up to your tv so you can watch Hulu Plus, Netflix, and more...there is a monthly fee for those but not as much as cable.
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