movies/tv Cable TV: How Much Longer will it Last?

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

Something that's been on my mind lately is cable TV and it's relevance. Now, I'm not talking about the quality of TV today, I'm talking about how much people watch TV anymore. The quality of shows today maybe a factor on why not as much people watch TV as they used to but I think there's a bigger factor: the internet.

 

See, on the internet, there are streaming services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime to watch full seasons of shows any time you want. Even if you don't have accounts, you can still easily find episodes of shows through a simple internet search or buying the DVDs or Blu Rays. This completely eliminates the need to have reruns, since no one is gonna sit through hours of shows they may or may not like just to see the one show they do like.

 

Heck, the only time I watch TV these days is for new episodes of shows I do like, or for the occasional hockey game. But even with new episodes of shows, depending on how popular they are there is probably someone just live streaming the episode so you don't have to watch it on TV. I'm pretty sure the only time multiple people collectively watch TV anymore are for big events like the Super Bowl or the Oscars. 

 

I know many people whom I only see watching TV for either new episodes of shows they're following or sports games, so the rerun ratings are probably going down, since once again, people are just watching these shows online.

 

I have a prediction that once people start streaming sports games and award shows (if they haven't already) Cable TV is just gonna die. There will practically be no need for it, (unless you have no internet, but most of the population does). All the networks will just make their own streaming services and release new episodes of the shows there and live streams will be a big thing. 

 

What do you guys think?

 

Forgot to mention for watching the news, most recent news is trending on sites like Facebook and Twitter, and if you don't have any of those, they end up on the front pages of sites like Yahoo.
 

[Mesme Rize 15,692]

I agree with you whole heartly.

 

Most of my need in entertainment, is on the internet. I watch my tv shows, movies, wrestling shows, etc. mostly on the internet. I have a big HDTV, but i mostly use it to watch DVDs and Blu-Rays and play my video games on it and i watch live football (soccer) games on it.

 

I think cable TV will die in the next 15 or 20 years, maybe even faster. TV will become a thing of the past.

[TopQuark 409]

And piracy. Don't forget the piracy. :comeatus:

[DeadAccount 4,604]

Hmm. That is a good question. And you have a good point.

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

And piracy. Don't forget the piracy. :comeatus:

Oh yeah. People can also just pirate anything leaving to even buying the DVDs pointless.

[PoisonClaw 8,174]

It'll probably stick around for another decade or so, but less and less people are watching cable when they can just stream it or marathon episodes off the internet. I stopped watching TV years ago and the rest of my family barely watches it outside of recorded episodes. 

 

I mean, with cable you're limited to what episodes may be airing and when. With the internet you can watch just the episode you want and at your leisure.  

[Banul 3,831]

Cable is definitely on the way out. I don't remember the last time I used it. 

 

Before, the only reason to have cable was to get a TV series live. You could get everything else more conveniently elsewhere. With Netflix and others airing their series' (like House of Cards) directly to their service and bypassing traditional cable, there's even less reason to have it. I'm sure sports will get streamed by something like Twitch eventually, as well. It's already the go to medium for Esports.

 

Cable was nice, but we don't need it anymore.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

I agree with you when you say cable TV is on it's way out. I can't tell you the last time I watched cable for... really anything. I have Netflix for that, and most of those Netflix exclusive shows, like the new Daredevil series, prove to be better than cable shows.

 

However, that doesn't mean that cable TV is just an absolute inconvenient way of viewing television. Sure, a lot of us have access to the internet, but not all of us have fast and reliable internet. Streaming services can prove to be total pains to watch if your internet just can't handle them. I don't have that issue, but I know quite a few people who have a hard time getting services like Netflix to run, and even when they do, they usually go at resolutions that a Toaster would laugh at.

 

Cable TV still has it's purposes an upsides, but in terms of overall convenience, it's just being shown up by everything else out there. You can get most of the internet-based services literally anywhere. I have them on my smart TV, my consoles, my computer, everything, and if people have the choice, they'll go for convenience over inconvenience. And, in that respect, things like Netflix and Hulu Plus take the cake.

[Mesme Rize 15,692]

And piracy. Don't forget the piracy. :comeatus:

 

I don't know why, but i just like seeing DVDs, Blu-rays and Video Games standing in my shelves. That's why i mostly don't pirate my stuff.

 

I know, sounds silly.

[cmarston1 5,964]

It's sometimes hard to believe that cable tv kind of is something of the past.

With the success of services like Hulu and Netflix, internet piracy and more things keep looking like a natural progression to get rid of it.

Heck even tv networks are getting into the action with Cartoon Network making an original web cartoon called Magic MightySwords and nick with welcome to the wayne and the infamous 2014 Korra incident.

So I guess looking at this way I won't really be surprised if/when cable tv goes the way of the dodo.

I don't even use my tv much except for new episodes of some of my favorite shows and the same goes for others which will continue onwards into the future and help remove it entirely at one point.

[Blaze Bronson 343]

I haven't watched TV for years, everything I want is on the internet. Also because it's only crap on there now anyways.

I believe it's going to disappear, but it will take a while because of elders.

 

But we might see a increased in smart TV's, and no I don't mean the ones we have now. I mean actually smart TV which are basically PC's. 

Imagine a TV with a branch of Linux optimized for watching entertainment from sites like Youtube and Netflix.

It would be a great place to get together, and easy for people to just buy and use, replacing the old TV.

 

Yeah you could just connect a PC, but the market is controlled by lazy people, and a smart-PC-TV might be just the thing.

[TopQuark 409]

I don't know why, but i just like seeing DVDs, Blu-rays and Video Games standing in my shelves. That's why i mostly don't pirate my stuff.

 

I know, sounds silly.

 

There's nothing silly about liking to collect things. I have a book case next to me of physics textbooks that I wouldn't care to have in digital format. It gives you a nice feeling of pride to display your collections (even if no one ever sees them). If people could download physical objects and stick them on their walls, they would (don't ask me how yet. I'm still working on it).

[silvadel 1,393]

Cable is where the internet comes from.

 

However I will say that just like landline phones, there will be proponents.  Even if the under 25 crowd tends to use hulu etc a lot, the over 35 crowd rarely does.

[Nightfall Gloam 18,293]

I think that, even though VOD/SVOD services (like Netflix, ABC iView (for those of you who are not Australian, ABC iView is a free video streaming service run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation), Hulu, Presto and Stan (Presto and Stan are just some of Australia's own paid streaming services, btw)) are getting more and more popular, cable, satellite and terrestrial broadcasting may still exist, at least for another 10 or so years. Like the person above me, the third world is going to need to catch up and ISPs are going to need to lower the prices of their services a little more (we Australians also might need slightly faster internet speeds)

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

Do you mean live TV in general? I don't see it going away anytime soon. With the rise of services like Sling TV, we'll probably move on to a pseudo-a la carte model through it and other similar services, and I think Live TV will still be the place for big premieres and new episodes, while reruns become less important as most people can catch up on Netflix.

 

If you mean traditional cable services like Comunistcast, or FiOS, then yeah, I don't see them lasting much longer. Nobody wants 300 channels they don't want just to get those 2-3 channels they do want. But that's the sad thing that still keeps those companies in business. While it's not perfect, I like how Sling TV does their add-on bundles. group 4-5 channels based around a specific theme, for just an extra $5. So if you want more kids networks, but don't want all those extra sports channels, no problem. If they add multiple device streaming, and more DVR funtionality, then Sling will definitely help wipe out traditional cable.

Edited May 8, 2015 by TheMisterManGuy

[whitetiger187 197]

I know you said that you were not talking about the quality of cable television, but that does play a huge role. With all of the nonsense like bad sitcoms and all those reality shows, people get tired of paying a big bill for that crap. Me an my family have pretty much decided to get rid of our cable for that very reason.

 

From my experience, all of the creative an original stuff is online now. Plus you can ick and choose what you want to watch on things like Netflix.

Edited May 8, 2015 by whitetiger187

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

Well I kind of think Cable TV is inconvenient because you are limited to certain shows and they come on certain times which isn't very ideal. And if I want to complete a series it's easier to do so on the internet.

 

I still want TV to exist but not in the form of cable. Maybe a streaming TV that has tons of different shows and movies and you can choose what you want to watch with the addition of new episodes live similar to On Demand or Netflix but way more diverse. I still think it feels cumbersome to watch on a computer as opposed to TV which I still find more comfortable.

 

And I also like using DVDs and Blu Ray as well because I still like physical media.

Edited May 8, 2015 by TheJLeeTeam

[VictiniStar101 214]

I personally don't watch cable TV that much and I don't like the idea of paying for hundreds of channels when you will probably only watch 10-15 of them.  If I could, and if it had some local channels, I would use Sling TV.

 

I think that Cable TV is on the decline, in developed countries anyway

[Cirrus. 1,093]

I don't see cable lasting too much longer either. I really don't watch cable much. The only two shows I watch regularly on it are MLP (new episodes) and Better Call Saul. Other than that I only watch maybe a couple hours a week if I find something good on while channel surfing. Most of the time I watch stuff on Netflix or YouTube.

 

Cable networks/channels either have to get with the times and offer streaming, or they WILL die.