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Post by John Michael on Mar 23, 2014 12:40:19 GMT -3.5
Netflix has been invading homes since the middle 2000s, and the late 2000s in Canada. It effectively killed the rental store, but now some people are asking, will it kill cable as we know it? Will people still go out of their way to order cable in their homes, and along with it, will they support the giants who have long lead TV, such as NBC, CBS, and Fox.
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Post by OKtomcat on Mar 23, 2014 13:00:56 GMT -3.5
Personally, my home hasn't had traditionally-distributed television since 2006 or so (with the exception of brief stint in 2008/2009, during which I barely used it). I haven't really noticed the lack of it, to be honest. There's too many far less expensive on-demand options available for me to care - YouTube and Netflix, most notably. If there's a series I REALLY need to see, I'm certain I could purchase it physically, or find it online, either free and illegal, or for a nominal fee and legal. In the big picture, however, I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority on this - most, if not all of my co-workers regularly discuss shows that they've watched on a traditional network.
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Jeff
Goomba
Posts: 8
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Post by Jeff on Mar 23, 2014 15:04:40 GMT -3.5
I don't think that Netflix alone has enough of a sway to end something as established as cable television. What I feel will happen, is another paradigm shift in what cable television will have to offer in order to keep its services used as much as it has been over the past few decades.
Netflix has been running tandem with video rental stores since its incorporation in 1997, largely as a mail-order rental service as well as their later developed streaming service. When they made their first expansion into international waters in 2010, releasing their streaming-only service in Canada, Blockbuster already had one foot in the grave, and Netflix was there taking aim at the last nail.
However, at the end, Blockbuster just wasn't offering anything new or exciting, besides the experience of walking into a video store with bright lights and blue carpets. Every transaction was littered with "would you like the extended plan/membership/weekday or weekend rental/subscribe to our newsletter?" When Netflix Canada came out, the most common sentiments were "Yeah, the selection isn't the best, but it's cheap, instant, and unlimited!" Since then, their roster and relevance has only gotten stronger.
Network television still holds their own with the programming they can promise at scheduled intervals with massive revenue from scheduled advertising. If Netflix somehow managed to provide on demand streaming of TV shows the night they're released, even for a premium, that could threaten a large portion of TV network's power. This being said, I've had cable television in my house for approximately one month, two weeks, ever. That was for a brief period in 2013, and even then our family rarely ever used it.
I would be really interested to see if there are major developments coming for cable television with piracy, Netflix, and frankly better services, becoming more abundant. The archaic infrastructure is already being revamped with companies like Bell using optic cables for better data transfer, lets see their next move!
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Post by OKtomcat on Mar 23, 2014 15:58:12 GMT -3.5
Real talk? I have some EXTREMELY fond memories of this.
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Post by nicholasjamesboyd on Mar 23, 2014 17:44:47 GMT -3.5
I don't see Netflix alone as killing cable, but it represents a shift in what people will tolerate, people are sick of cable, and middle seats on airplanes, and other things people thought they were "stuck" with. I see that now that it has been shown that people don't have to accept these things, people will push in the direction of better service, as they are getting used to getting what they want, when they want it. Cable has lost more subscribers than gained for the first time recently, and if this trend continues, they'll have to improve their business model or fail. The same thing is being seen with people beginning to prefer airlines which offer better service, cost is not always the only factor. I suspect most service industries will have to move in this "customer friendly" direction, or face competition that will destroy them because they can. Also, the fair wage movement has begun to grow as well, along with Cosco beginning to offer fairer wages, and as a result turning record profits, its just a matter of investing in your people. I think that people are growing tired of the old ways that seperated classes heavily and made people feel they just had to "put up" with what they were given.
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Post by Sarah on Mar 24, 2014 10:44:43 GMT -3.5
Honestly, my room mates just got cable again, and I barely watch it. I'm far too busy to watch a show when it comes on every week. I think businesses like Netflix and Hulu provide a way for people who want to watch shows and movies when they have the time, but don't want to spend $60 on a box set. It allows variety, and browsing. A lot of the time cable doesn't have descriptions of shows, just of that episode. These businesses allow people the ability to watch new things. Honestly I have watched tonnes of movies I wouldn't have on cable through Netflix by watching their trailers that are offered, the same with shows by reading their descriptions. If I want something more current - I will download it. So I think the question is whether internet is getting rid of cable. Not just Netflix. Even iTunes allows people to be current through the Internet as they have season passes for people to watch episodes as they come out for series, or even pay for individual episodes.
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Post by John Michael on Mar 25, 2014 14:58:54 GMT -3.5
A trend I'm noticing is that no it won't, but I'm watching it the shows on Netflix or Hulu or something. And while that provides some funding, won't that still kill the traditional cable star? Currently, most shows are rated (and stay on the air) by the Neilson ratings. Without them, the shows will be cancelled. So I guess the next question I ask is do you think more shows will sign on with Netflix directly, as oppose to going the cable route?
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redbeard
Keese
I evolved! Da na na NAAAA!
Posts: 33
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Post by redbeard on Jul 17, 2014 14:32:10 GMT -3.5
I don't really watch TV at all. Generally, it's a thing to do with the girlfriend (when I have one lol). As such, on the rare occasions that I do take an interest, I want flexibility. Pausing if I need to, watching at various points of the day, etc. That means Internet, such as Netflix, or owning a series so I can watch/ re-watch at my leisure (though I can't remember the last time I shelled out for a TV series box set).
That said, there are parallels with other media. In the circles of librarianship, we've talked at great length about the state/ fate of the book as a physical medium. Not only does it face competition with the ADD-like symptoms you get from surfing the Internet ("TL;DNR"), and with easier-access media like movies, but it's also up against e-books. My stance about cable is about the same as my stance on books/ e-books.
There's a lot of convenience to be had from owning an e-reader, such as having hundreds of books that you can carry in your purse/ knapsack/ tote bag, not having to worry about damaging the cover from reading it too much, and cheaper price. But there are drawbacks, such as higher energy demand (you don't need to recharge a book!), you need the Internet to get new books, and electrical interference could be an issue. Plus, if you bust your e-reader, you've just lost ALL your books (unless you have them backed up on your computer). Then there's the loss of the visceral experience of reading a hard copy book, and the pros and cons of reading from screens. E-ink is now a thing, and that helps, but glare and back-lighting are problems for screens. And so on.
By the same token, I expect cable to see a reduced market just as hard copy books have. You need only look at Chapters/ Coles and how it's becoming Target to see that books alone don't carry the same financial punch they used to. But people are still buying them, even when authors like Cory Doctorow release their works for free over the Internet. Some people will value the structure of cable, if they find they binge-watch when left to their own devices. Others might appreciate the fact that if the Internet goes down, you'll still have cable. And certainly, cable will adapt as other media have. We've seen Facebook take on Twitter's hashtagging, and Twitter has adopted some of Facebook's profile page systems. As TVs continue to advance, we're seeing new stuff on them such as some TVs that have built-in gaming capacities (albeit on par with cell phone games). Undoubtedly cable will take advantage of that.
It will be marginalized, certainly. A lot of the bigger players might die out, merge, move to a different market, or change altogether. But cable will continue as a niche market for quite some time, I expect.
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Post by natashajolly on Aug 21, 2014 4:58:29 GMT -3.5
I don't think anything is necessarily going to 'kill' cable... The biggest threat on the horizon is the major sports leagues' online presence. blockless dns
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