TeamCable TV is in the midst of its greatest battle, going up against streaming services, YouTube and other entertainment options out there. On top of that, one could argue that Cable TV is its own worst enemy as well, since they keep on increasing their prices to make up for their lost revenue.
It is clear that cable services are trying their hardest to stay relevant in today’s world, but will it ever be completely obsolete? Will that day ever come? If we take a look at its downward spiral, it is not hard to imagine that. Let’s take a deeper look into the issues this service is facing right now.
The rise of streaming services
Netflix’s success is not news to anyone. In fact, they keep on growing and investing in their platform, creating more and more on-demand content for their users. And they make all of this available for a small fee. They do not charge extra for special shows or movies. And Netflix is not the only one going all-in. HBO, Amazon or Disney are also creating their own streaming platforms.
Despite the huge number of channels, Cable TV started to fall behind pretty hard. Sure, they offer packages with hundreds of channels but, in the end, there is rarely anything interesting to watch. They are too specific, repetitive or boring. They only get premium content like famous movies years down the road or they sell that content at exorbitant prices. With the supply available today, people are bound to get angry.
Fast Internet for everyone
The landscape of TV entertainment has changed completely and one of the most pivotal reasons is the Internet, specifically a fast connection. The Internet has been around for several years now, but not everyone had access to a fast and reliable connection. Not too long ago, it was nearly impossible to watch a show online with the constant buffering.
However, things have changed. Nowadays, almost everyone has fiber, ensuring a super-fast and stable connection. The result? Content on demand! We are now able to see what we want, when we want it. There is no need to wait for our favorite tv show to air, no more reruns, no more missed episodes.
On top of all this, we have platforms that promote independent content creation. People that like gaming can now hop in on Twitch and watch their favorite gamers, as they please. Totally free. The same applies to YouTube. Big streaming services like Netflix customize our viewer experience according to our tastes, recommending more shows like the ones we like. So, we are able to target the type of content we want to see.
Binge-watching is a common thing now
We all remember the old days where some Cable TV channels would air a certain show all afternoon, a true binge-watch session. However, the obscene number of commercials was always a massive buzzkill.
Then it came Netflix, the streaming service that revolutionized binge-watching. All of the sudden, we have hours and hours and hours of content available. An enormous catalog of tv shows and movies is available on our PCs, TVs or phones! After that, they took it one step further and began to create their own shows and movies, with one small caveat. They released the entire thing in one go. It was insane at the time!
Binge-watching finally became a normal thing to do and when a new season of our favorite show is about to be released, you know that we will be rocking on the couch for hours.
Sadly, cable TV was not able to keep up with the convenience that streaming platforms were and are offering.
Pricing and outrage
As we have mentioned before, cable TV’s response to their declining revenue was to jack up their prices even more. And while it might make sense in the minds of the executives, it makes little to no sense for the customers.
Their prices were already outdated for today’s standards, but now they are just insulting. One could argue on their behalf if they made all of their content available for a hefty fee, but no! Then, there are several premium channels that require a subscription. Channels, not platforms! How silly is that nowadays?
On the other hand, we have streaming services and platforms that offer thousands of hours in content for a cheap monthly subscription or even for free.
Final thoughts
Clearly, cable TV is going downhill and it is only a matter of time before it becomes completely obsolete. TVs, on the other hand, are always going to be around! Just because we can now access our content from our phones or PCs, it doesn’t mean we are going to stop using our TVs in the comfort of our cozy couch. Happy binge-watching!
