With summer vacation upon us, here's an idea to try something different and save a few bucks.
“Cord cutting.”
The idea that consumers can live without traditional pay TV service has been bubbling under the surface for years now, but 2015 is shaping up to be the year when the pieces fall in place to actually make it cost effective and easy.
Over six months since “cutting the cord” at the Short household, it is safe to say nobody in my family misses it. We’ve found out that when it comes to TV, our household is like a growing number of homes across the country.
The TV we watch comes from a relatively limited number of channels, and the way we watch TV has fundamentally changed with the advent of streaming.
Last year, the ratings people at Nielsen put out a study showing that while the average number of channels in pay TV packages ballooned from 129 in 2008 to 189 in 2013, the average number of channels watched per household only went from 17.3 to 17.5.
Over that same time more and more households have moved a larger portion of their TV viewing to online streaming via so called Over The Top (OTT) services like Netflix. By the end of 2014 40% of households subscribed to at least one streaming service.
I didn't know it at the time we made the decision to cut the cord, but between those two statistics it's clear our household falls right into that trend. The fact that we watch relatively few channels and most of our TV content is streamed led to the decision, and it would appear, many more households are coming to that conclusion as well.
For the first time ever, the traditional pay TV industry lost customers in Q1 of a calendar year – losing a net of 31k subscribers. That was down from roughly 370k net adds last year, or a 400k swing. That's an ominous sign when one considers 2015 is shaping up to be the year when many of the gaps in the streaming landscape will close.
Those gaps will close with the advent of “skinny bundles” via services like Sling TV which launched in February and the rollout of HBO Now as a standalone product.
In the interest of transparency, I've been given a “reviewer account” from Sling TV for the past few months which means I'm getting it for free. That account also includes HBO.
So, what do you get with Sling TV?
For $20/month, you get 22 traditional channels including cable stalwarts like TBS, TNT, ESPN, ESPN2, AMC, Disney Channel, History Channel, Food Network, Travel Channel, HGTV, and CNN. The Weather Channel is reportedly also on the way. For $5 a piece, you can add on different channel packages containing several channels each in categories like Family, News, Sports and Movies.
The big “get” here though is ESPN. Until Sling TV launched, the only way to get ESPN was through a traditional pay TV subscription. For an additional $15/month, Sling TV is also one of the first avenues to get HBO via streaming.
So, what are the trade-offs for lower monthly bills?
A lot has been written about the so called limitations of the platform such as its single stream setup (meaning the account can only be accessed by one devise at a time) and the lack of a DVR. Those have been a non-issue for my household.
If I'm watching sports and my kids want to watch something else, they are on Netflix anyway, so that limitation doesn't matter. Also, if I just want the TV on for back ground or to watch something mindless there's always something on TBS, TNT, Food Network, or HGTV that falls into that category. You don't need DVR for that, but Hulu Plus basically provides the same functionality as a DVR for most broadcast network shows if that's something you must have.
Another common criticism of Sling TV is that it doesn't have local broadcast channels. No, it doesn't, but a $30 digital antenna works just fine on the living room TV.
Yes, the channel selection is limited, but remember, most of you are only watching 17 stations anyway. The only cable channel I personally watch that's not included on Sling TV
Is FX. For the political junkies out there, there's also no MSNBC or Fox News.
If these things are something you can't live without, then maybe cord cutting is not for you.
Me? I’ll take the $850/year we’re saving off of our old cable bill and put that towards our next summer vacation.
Showing posts with label Sling TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sling TV. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Sling TV First Impression...the missing link for cord cutters.
After a week of using the new Sling TV streaming service under its "reviewer program", here's what I'll tell you:
It is pretty awesome!
But you have to appreciate it for what it is...an inexpensive alternative with limited channels compared to much more expensive packages with many more channels than most people will ever watch.
When it goes live to the general public in a couple of weeks, it is hard to see it not taking off and over time increasing the number of cord cutters significantly.
Here are my first impressions:
As a slimmed down bundle it covers all of the bases for an entertInment package...news, sports, casual TV browsing and some stuff for kids.
So far, I've watched a few college basketball games on ESPN (the main thing I've missed since cutting the cord from Mi-Connection a few months ago), and I've watched a couple of kids movies from Sling's on demand offerings.
The user interface is pretty standard across multile platforms. That's an improvement over other streaming services which can look significantly different depending on how they are accessed. We have a Roku 3, iPad, and Android phone hooked Sling TV. For live TV they all have the same look and feel.
A lot has been written about the so called limitations of the platform such as its single stream setup or the lack of a DVR. Those have been a non-issue for me.
If I'm watching sports and my kids want to watch something else, they are on Netflix anyway, so that limitation doesn't matter. Also, if I just want the TV on for back ground or to watch something mindless there's always something on TBS, TNT, Food Network, or HGTV that falls into that category. I don't need DVR for that. I also use Hulu Plus which basically provides the same functionality as a DVR for most broadcast network shows I'm interested in watching.
Another common criticism I've seen of Sling TV is that it doesn't have local broadcast channels. No, it doesn't, but a $30 digital antenna works just fine on the livingroom TV which is where I watch local news anyway.
There are two relatively minor usability issues that will take some getting used to but are not show stoppers.
The first is that different stations have different playback options such as on Food Network you can play back things for up to 3 days whereas on TBS you cannot. Not a big deal, but still unusual.
The other unusual thing is with the on demand offering. If you want to do on demand from a mobile device such as an iPad you have to save the movie to your watchlist from the iPad Sling TV app, then go to the Dish Network website to actually rent the movie, then go back to Sling TV app to watch it. When doing this from the Roku it can all be done in the Roku version of the Sling TV app with a single button. That difference certainly seems like an issue that would eventually get resolved, but for now it is a bit quirky.
All in all, I would definitely recommend giving it a try once it goes public. It could definitely save you a lot of money if you find it meets your needs. It certainly does for me.
Now, it's time to get back to paying attention to the Duke/Notre Dame game that's been playing on ESPN2 while I've been writing this. The Irish have just pulled ahead of the Blue Devils 71 - 70 with 1:40 to go!
It is pretty awesome!
But you have to appreciate it for what it is...an inexpensive alternative with limited channels compared to much more expensive packages with many more channels than most people will ever watch.
When it goes live to the general public in a couple of weeks, it is hard to see it not taking off and over time increasing the number of cord cutters significantly.
Here are my first impressions:
As a slimmed down bundle it covers all of the bases for an entertInment package...news, sports, casual TV browsing and some stuff for kids.
So far, I've watched a few college basketball games on ESPN (the main thing I've missed since cutting the cord from Mi-Connection a few months ago), and I've watched a couple of kids movies from Sling's on demand offerings.
The user interface is pretty standard across multile platforms. That's an improvement over other streaming services which can look significantly different depending on how they are accessed. We have a Roku 3, iPad, and Android phone hooked Sling TV. For live TV they all have the same look and feel.
A lot has been written about the so called limitations of the platform such as its single stream setup or the lack of a DVR. Those have been a non-issue for me.
If I'm watching sports and my kids want to watch something else, they are on Netflix anyway, so that limitation doesn't matter. Also, if I just want the TV on for back ground or to watch something mindless there's always something on TBS, TNT, Food Network, or HGTV that falls into that category. I don't need DVR for that. I also use Hulu Plus which basically provides the same functionality as a DVR for most broadcast network shows I'm interested in watching.
Another common criticism I've seen of Sling TV is that it doesn't have local broadcast channels. No, it doesn't, but a $30 digital antenna works just fine on the livingroom TV which is where I watch local news anyway.
There are two relatively minor usability issues that will take some getting used to but are not show stoppers.
The first is that different stations have different playback options such as on Food Network you can play back things for up to 3 days whereas on TBS you cannot. Not a big deal, but still unusual.
The other unusual thing is with the on demand offering. If you want to do on demand from a mobile device such as an iPad you have to save the movie to your watchlist from the iPad Sling TV app, then go to the Dish Network website to actually rent the movie, then go back to Sling TV app to watch it. When doing this from the Roku it can all be done in the Roku version of the Sling TV app with a single button. That difference certainly seems like an issue that would eventually get resolved, but for now it is a bit quirky.
All in all, I would definitely recommend giving it a try once it goes public. It could definitely save you a lot of money if you find it meets your needs. It certainly does for me.
Now, it's time to get back to paying attention to the Duke/Notre Dame game that's been playing on ESPN2 while I've been writing this. The Irish have just pulled ahead of the Blue Devils 71 - 70 with 1:40 to go!
Friday, January 23, 2015
Cord Cutting, Sling TV, and Mi-Connection
Tired of high-priced cable packages that force you to buy channels you don’t want? Do you keep your cable solely for ESPN? Have you already subscribed to Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu Plus and realized streaming totally changes how you watch TV?
Maybe you’ve thought about joining the small but growing number of “cord cutters” – those people who have decided to cut their cable subscriptions.
If any of these sound familiar, then you will have a new choice in coming weeks. The 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2015) earlier this month gave the public a glimpse of the next big thing in a home entertainment – Sling TV – by DISH Network.
Sling TV will provide access to ESPN, ESPN II, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, TNT, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim – all for $20/month with no contract.
Yes, you read that right. ESPN will be available via streaming without a contract. Just care about college basketball? You can get the service for a few months then drop it. Just care about football, you can do the same.
There are downsides though. No DVR functionality with only limited playback options is one. It is single stream – meaning only one device can access an account at a time. Also, it doesn't provide access to local network broadcast TV. You still need a digital antenna and be in range of local broadcasters to get your local news.
DISH says the service will target millennials and cord cutters and is not designed to be a full replacement of your cable subscription. What remains to be seen is what impact it will have on increasing the number of households that decide to make the leap and cut the cord.
More importantly to Davidson and Mooresville taxpayers, what impact could this service have on Mi-Connection? The municipally owned cable provider recently had one of its best quarters ever even though it is still losing money.
With that in mind I asked the CEO of Mi-Connection, David Auger, what impact he thought Sling TV would have on the company’s growth. Here’s what he had to say…
“My personal opinion is as follows. I believe that the launch of Sling TV will not have a material impact on our growth. However, I believe this is a significant step forward in MI-Connections and the industry’s contractual relationships with the 6 giant conglomerates (Comcast, Time Warner Inc., News Corporation, Viacom, Scripps and Disney) regarding their program bundling demands. In order for this deal to get this far, a couple of these conglomerates have given ground which is historic. I and I would assume other independent operators look forward to competing in world of smaller bundles, or even a-la-carte that provides our customers with more choice. MI-Connection has the infrastructure and technology to do so and in my opinion, this is a step in the right direction.
I would also add that MI-Connection has the most robust data offering in the markets we serve with a tremendous amount of upside opportunity. Over-the-top offerings can only increase this demand.”
That certainly sounds good, but one also has to wonder if this might be a bit of “whistling past the graveyard”.
Sling TV, particularly with its groundbreaking inclusion of ESPN, could be a game changer. Nobody truly knows how many people that might attract or if it will catch fire outside of its target market segments. If it does, it could very well hit Mi-Connection in its main revenue source and stymie its progress towards profitability. According to FY2013 budget numbers on the Town of Davidson website, 58% of Mi-Connection’s revenue was expected to come from video that year with the rest split between voice and data.
As a bit of anecdotal evidence for why this could be an issue, my household “cut the cord” from Mi-Connection about three months ago. Two of my neighbors recently told me their main reason for not also doing so was access to ESPN.
None of us are millennials, but all of us were looking at it as a way to cut household costs.
My setup of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus along with an expected addition of Sling TV for College Basketball season will run about $850/year less than what I paid previously. That includes a comparable broadband connection on a promotional rate and purchase of a couple of digital antennas.
Is it for everybody? Absolutely not. There are definitely trade-offs.
However, after a three month experiment, I can also say I will probably never go back to a cable subscription again, and that’s the challenge Mi-Connection faces in the future.
If/when cord cutters do return to companies like Mi-Connection it will be for significantly less money as data-only subscribers.
Welcome to the brave new world out there in TV land.
This post first appeared in the Herald Weekly
Bonus Observation: After submitting this post for publication in the Herald Weekly, I received notice from Sling TV that I would be included in their reviewers program to test the product over the next year. Stay tuned for future reviews, but first impressions are definitely very positive.
Maybe you’ve thought about joining the small but growing number of “cord cutters” – those people who have decided to cut their cable subscriptions.
If any of these sound familiar, then you will have a new choice in coming weeks. The 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2015) earlier this month gave the public a glimpse of the next big thing in a home entertainment – Sling TV – by DISH Network.
Sling TV will provide access to ESPN, ESPN II, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, TNT, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim – all for $20/month with no contract.
Yes, you read that right. ESPN will be available via streaming without a contract. Just care about college basketball? You can get the service for a few months then drop it. Just care about football, you can do the same.
There are downsides though. No DVR functionality with only limited playback options is one. It is single stream – meaning only one device can access an account at a time. Also, it doesn't provide access to local network broadcast TV. You still need a digital antenna and be in range of local broadcasters to get your local news.
DISH says the service will target millennials and cord cutters and is not designed to be a full replacement of your cable subscription. What remains to be seen is what impact it will have on increasing the number of households that decide to make the leap and cut the cord.
More importantly to Davidson and Mooresville taxpayers, what impact could this service have on Mi-Connection? The municipally owned cable provider recently had one of its best quarters ever even though it is still losing money.
With that in mind I asked the CEO of Mi-Connection, David Auger, what impact he thought Sling TV would have on the company’s growth. Here’s what he had to say…
“My personal opinion is as follows. I believe that the launch of Sling TV will not have a material impact on our growth. However, I believe this is a significant step forward in MI-Connections and the industry’s contractual relationships with the 6 giant conglomerates (Comcast, Time Warner Inc., News Corporation, Viacom, Scripps and Disney) regarding their program bundling demands. In order for this deal to get this far, a couple of these conglomerates have given ground which is historic. I and I would assume other independent operators look forward to competing in world of smaller bundles, or even a-la-carte that provides our customers with more choice. MI-Connection has the infrastructure and technology to do so and in my opinion, this is a step in the right direction.
I would also add that MI-Connection has the most robust data offering in the markets we serve with a tremendous amount of upside opportunity. Over-the-top offerings can only increase this demand.”
That certainly sounds good, but one also has to wonder if this might be a bit of “whistling past the graveyard”.
Sling TV, particularly with its groundbreaking inclusion of ESPN, could be a game changer. Nobody truly knows how many people that might attract or if it will catch fire outside of its target market segments. If it does, it could very well hit Mi-Connection in its main revenue source and stymie its progress towards profitability. According to FY2013 budget numbers on the Town of Davidson website, 58% of Mi-Connection’s revenue was expected to come from video that year with the rest split between voice and data.
As a bit of anecdotal evidence for why this could be an issue, my household “cut the cord” from Mi-Connection about three months ago. Two of my neighbors recently told me their main reason for not also doing so was access to ESPN.
None of us are millennials, but all of us were looking at it as a way to cut household costs.
My setup of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus along with an expected addition of Sling TV for College Basketball season will run about $850/year less than what I paid previously. That includes a comparable broadband connection on a promotional rate and purchase of a couple of digital antennas.
Is it for everybody? Absolutely not. There are definitely trade-offs.
However, after a three month experiment, I can also say I will probably never go back to a cable subscription again, and that’s the challenge Mi-Connection faces in the future.
If/when cord cutters do return to companies like Mi-Connection it will be for significantly less money as data-only subscribers.
Welcome to the brave new world out there in TV land.
This post first appeared in the Herald Weekly
Bonus Observation: After submitting this post for publication in the Herald Weekly, I received notice from Sling TV that I would be included in their reviewers program to test the product over the next year. Stay tuned for future reviews, but first impressions are definitely very positive.
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