Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I realize this topic might offend some of you more frugal folks out there ... but i thought i'd ask anyway.
does anyone alter their cable service just to get a show or two?
for example: I have my cable company turn on HBO while entourage is on, and discontinue service for the rest of the year. This actually saves a decent amount of money +/-$100 per year.
I have a basic service ( local channels I never watch anyway) and buy a movie package, one at the time. When movies start to repeat, I get another package. ( example: HBO, then Starz, then Movie Channel etc.)
The basic cost me $9.95 + movie package around $12-14. All together with taxes and surcharges cost < $28/month.
The movie channel packages run the same 100-or-so movies over and over for a year. So I can tape them overnight for a few months, and then switch movie packages. The best movies are the ones they run only a couple of times at 3 am.
I subscribe to mlb.tv during the summer months, then in Oct or Nov, I phone my cable company and ask if they have a special on a movie package. Often they have one free or half-price for 3 months.
Yes, but I might worded it wrong: the "basic channels" I have in mind are mostly local, public and shopping channels - this service allow me to order movie packages.
I work for a cable / telco / ISP and one big perk is free cable modem and free cable, all channels (way over 500). I look at just a small number of channels per month, and when I do it's just a few of the cable news channels (CNBC, MSNBC, CNN), HBO series, movies on HBO, SHO, TCM, and a couple of Spanish language channels (Canal Sur, TV Chile, Telemundo, etc).
I would guess that within the next few years, many people will begin to get their video programming exclusively from "Hulu-like" sources. In other words, people will decide what kind of video programming they want, and pay just for what they want instead of the "whole enchilada" that currently is offered in various "small, medium and large" channel packages. I've been reading about Google's proposed entry into the world of video services, and my guess is they will be taking the a-la-carte approach to differentiate themselves from the incumbent cable, telco and satellite companies that offer video "broadcast" delivery with large channel packages only.
This is probably not good for cable, telco and satellite companies long term, but hey, I'm just a few years from retirement.
I have Dish network, which is cheaper than the local cable. It costs fifty a month and I get 100 channels. cable is 85. I'm thinking of adding fifteen to that and getting 100 more. It will include many that I want to watch as I am currently barely turning it on. If the weather looks bad I turn on the local news but usually forget.
What I want is a package where you get, say, twenty channels for x number of dollars and you PICK THEM YOURSELVES. OK, excempt movie channels. But all the cable ones are in a big pool. I'll bet the ones that are taking all the good stuff and moving it to the "new" spinoffs would reconsider.
I've been doing a lot of writing too, and some days the tv doesn't even get turned on since I am way too involved in creating my own entertainment.
I would guess that within the next few years, many people will begin to get their video programming exclusively from "Hulu-like" sources. In other words, people will decide what kind of video programming they want, and pay just for what they want instead of the "whole enchilada" that currently is offered in various "small, medium and large" channel packages.
You are absolutely right! That's why I cancelled the package because I refuse to pay for channels I do not watch. I don't watch shopping programs, or cartoons; don't care about church and preaching, Spanish channels, TV Networks, soap operas, and all that stuff.
I would love to have a chance to get a la carte channels and pay only for those I want to watch. I think that pushing people to buy packages and pay for programs they don't want is a rip-off !
Most of you seem to be getting much better deals on Cable and Dish than are available in my area. Our one choice for cable is $45 a month for basic. We took it out back in 2000 when it was about $25 a month and so far have never gone back. We now are considering Dish Network this fall which has a promotion for $24.95 for one year without HBO or any special movie add ons. Network TV has been incredibly poor this summer with things like reality shows and not much more. We do subscribe to Netflix which we can rent movies of our choice.
Just this week I called my cable company so I could add Showtime so I can watch Weeds. I'll keep Showtime for about half the year (till Dexter ends), and drop it for the other half of the year. I guess it's one of my guilty pleasures, but I try to look at it this way -- I'll DVR a bunch of movies over the course I have it, thus making the service a "good deal" in my mind. For me, as long as I'm watching more than just those two shows I find it to be a deal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1200RT
I realize this topic might offend some of you more frugal folks out there ... but i thought i'd ask anyway.
does anyone alter their cable service just to get a show or two?
for example: I have my cable company turn on HBO while entourage is on, and discontinue service for the rest of the year. This actually saves a decent amount of money +/-$100 per year.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
