In defense of cable, and the joy of scrolling up and down a remote - USA TODAY

Jefferson Graham USA TODAY

Published 2:58 PM EDT Mar 24, 2019

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — For years, the cable companies have been attacked, maligned and abused as the money-grubbing gougers of our living rooms. 

Now, with Apple set to preview yet another entertainment streaming service Monday, get ready for some possible backlash to streamers. 

We hate cable because rates keep going up, and they give us hundreds of channels we don’t want. Many of us would prefer to order channels a la carte, and they won’t let us. 

So why continue paying the man when you could cut the cord and enjoy TV for free? 

Here’s one good reason: because cable just works. One could argue, (and I certainly have,) that the experience of the cable alternative services like YouTube and Hulu with Live TV is visually better, with more options for how to watch. 

But they are missing some longtime essentials—like giving us the ability to scroll up and down a remote control to find stuff to watch, and delivering such beloved channels as PBS, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. The streamers don’t have everything. Cable usually does. 

More: Is cutting the cord on your mind? Here's what you need to know

More: Cutting the cord? We grade your cable alternatives

More importantly, as expensive as cable is (I currently pay $110 monthly, and that includes high-speed internet service) I don’t believe that the cutting the cord generation is going to continue being able to save money in the near future. 

I have no hard evidence to present you for this, just the reality that a day doesn't seem to go by without yet another announcement of a new subscription service. And Netflix, Hulu and DirecTV Now recently raised their rates. Clearly there's more to come.

My gut says that subscribing to a handful of services will cost more than we’re paying now for cable. Especially when you factor in the cost of your internet connection. 

Sure, you could cut the cord and just watch broadcast TV channels for free via an antenna, sans any of the subscription services. But who wants to do just that?

Look who is behind the streamers

Let’s face facts: many of the same corporations that control the cable companies and their services (Comcast, AT&T, Disney) are the ones who are making inroads on subscription services. 

Today, it’s a handful like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. But just wait: 

Disney, which now owns 20th Century Fox, as well as ESPN and ABC, looks to debut a new streaming service later this year. AT&T’s Warner Media has its own service in the works..

And on Monday, Apple is almost certainly joining the fray, showcasing a new entertainment subscription service, as well as another offering with magazines and newspapers at a media event on its corporate campus. 

Add Netflix, Amazon, CBS, HBO, Disney, Warner, Hulu and however many services you might want, and you could eventually be dinged with higher rates than cable. It's just logic. 

No. 1 streamer Netflix is on a tear, spending over $8 billion yearly of programming to feed its monster. Where is the $8 billion coming from? You and me. Ditto for Apple and it’s reported $1 billion programming budget. 

Back to cable: you turn on the TV and there’s a clear, steady image. 

You never have to worry about buffering, or video that slows down. 

When you want to find something to watch, if you’re an old-fashioned TV nut like myself, you get to do what we always do—scroll up and down the remote dial, in search of programming, or hit the menu guide. 

I love streaming, and the visual menu, but I miss the scroll. 

I especially like how streaming services like YouTube TV let you watch on the TV, phone, tablet and how you can continue watching from anywhere you are. 

My cable company Frontier says it also has the feature to watch remotely, via an app, but I can’t get it to work unless I upgrade to another cable box, which would cost me $120 yearly. 

That’s gouging as far as I’m concerned. And I still hate the cable company, like everyone else. A monthly broadcast TV fee and a sports fee of $20 or so, even when I don’t watch sports? Not fair. 

But that will come to streaming too, I’m sure of it. Amazon now runs sporting events, and so does CBS All Access and Disney’s ESPN streaming service. 

The teams aren’t playing for free. Somebody has to pay, and it’s usually you and me. 

Readers: how many streaming services do you subscribe to now? How many more would you add? Let me hear from you on Twitter, where I’m @jeffersongraham. 

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2019/03/24/who-needs-cut-cord-when-cable-just-works-we-love-our-remote/3261793002/

2019-03-24 19:58:00Z
CAIiELbs7n8Q4PUdWU-mP6KF58oqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowjsP7CjCSpPQCMM_b5QU