Cord-Cutting

   “According to a new survey … data show that the so-called "cord-cutting" phenomenon — where consumers jettison traditional cable and satellite packages in favor of streaming services… Half of respondents said they were satisfied with online streaming options like Netflix and Hulu, while 30 percent said pay TV was too expensive.” (NBC News)  More and more people are cost cutting by cancelling their cable television service.  My family is one of them and it’s good to know we’re not alone.  
   When I was in Makati City, Philippines I had a cable TV provider that gave us very bad reception.  We waited a couple of months to see if it will get better before we complained.  When I called for service no one came to do anything.  I had the cable TV cancelled.  When I got to talk to a neighbor ‘standby’ by chance and mentioned my cancellation, the boy offered to reconnect my cable for free, just for friendship’s sake and I won’t have to pay the cable company monthly.  Amazingly the boy did give me cable TV back with absolutely perfect reception, something the cable company was not willing to do for me.  In gratitude I gifted the boy with PHP300, he wasn’t even asking for.
   In Louisville, Kentucky I had Insight cable TV.  Insight gave me basic channels for $20 a month.  Their basic contract came with History, Comedy, Discovery, Showtime, Lifetime, no HBO but all local channels, etc.  I was happy with Insight.  Then the company was bought by Time Warner and changed the name to Time Warner Cable.  Now I see the basic cost $29.99.  
   When I moved to California, I got Xfinity which offered basic at $49.99.  The basic channels that I got had so many Spanish channels but I don’t speak Spanish and except HBO, none of the channels mentioned above.  I am guessing the Latino community got all the English channels.  The probable reason is so that the customer would upgrade from basic to get more channels in their language.
   My daughter and I decided to let the cable TV go.  Since we have Hulu and Netflix we still catch our favorite shows just a day late.  As for the Filipino channel we couldn’t afford on top of the cable TV cost, I find my ALDUB updates in YouTube and GMA TV streaming.  Like the American cable TV shows, I get it later than broadcast date, but let me tell you, the ALDUB thrill is the same whatever day you watch it.  
See also:The Standbys of Makati  Educating Mom – Hulu and Netflix  The Newsroom to a Filipina 1


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Published on September 26, 2015 11:22
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