I just got off the phone with Comcast. I canceled our home phone and cable television services.
We are media content gluttons around here, or I am at least. But when Emily suggested trying out a cable-free life for a while I thought about it as I swept the front walk.
What do I watch? What do I watch that I need Comcast to access?
The answer to that question was: Live broadcasts.
That’s it. Just live television. But of all the shows I watch on television, I only watch Maury Povich live, and that’s for a Twitter joke. Sometimes I’m able to watch a Red Wings’ game live when its on NBC or Versus, but for the most part my live hockey viewing is done online. I watched the Golden Globes live, but it’s not like my life would have been any less full if I’d not watched it at all, and honestly even that was for Twitter. It provided material for a snarky afternoon.
We record everything we watch for later. We make extensive use of the DVRs we have, and On Demand, but even more than either of these we’ve been relying on DVDs, Amazon Video on Demand, Hulu, and Netflix for our media consumption.
Of all the shows we watch on regular cable that are in current season production there isn’t a single one whose current episodes aren’t available to view online in some form. And sometimes using the Internet to access media is more convenient: When we tried to catch up with Mad Men after the current season had aired, but before the DVD set was released, our only option to view it was through Amazon; it wasn’t even offered through Comcast On Demand anyway.
As for the kids, many of their favourite shows are streaming on Netflix now. And there’s no reason to pay a premium for cable access just so the kids can keep up with whatever is being broadcast live on Sprout or Nick Jr. Further, there are no commercials on the Netflix content, so I don’t have to deal with “Daddy can I get a Pillow Pet?!?” whenever Erin sees those stupid commercials.
So, what am I going to pay a premium fee to watch?
Well, what about networks like HBO and Showtime? I admit, I watch a lot of their television shows. Although I don’t watch them live, I do tend to watch them On Demand or through Comcast’s online portal, Fancast. So if we were to cancel the cable I would lose access to those shows during their regular broadcast runs. But buying a DVD set once in a while, or paying to download episodes from Amazon is cheaper, in the long run, than paying Comcast for the privilege of watching those shows as they air.
Making the decision much, much easier is the fact that we own both a Wii (Netflix enabled) and a Google TV (also Netflix enabled as well as web enabled for general sites and Amazon VOD). They will provide online access to our big televisions so that we aren’t forced to watch on small laptop screens. Not everyone is in the technological position we are, but being in that position means we can give up the cable bill altogether instead of just cutting back to a basic level.
The less money we give to Comcast, the better. Think of it as a form of protest over their acquisition of NBC. That’s not the reason, but it sure didn’t make me feel like remaining a loyal customer instead of writing them off.
Oh, and as for the home phone? Who the hell needs a landline? The only people who call our landline are telemarketers.
So, goodbye telemarketers, goodbye Maury, goodbye Golden Globes. Hello thousands of dollars a year.
I will be doing the same thing when I move, after my divorce is final.
I've thought about it an awful lot, and while I love the idea of having LIVE! television, I can't justify paying that $100 a month that could be going into savings or something crazy, like buying groceries instead.
I did the same thing. It's nice not giving them $150 every month! Are they still your internet provider? I want to get rid of them completely but I haven't found a good alternative in my area regarding that.
I will say that I do miss the Big Ten Network. I'm not able to watch my Golden Gophers.
They are still the Internet provider.
My household went cable-free a couple of years ago and have not regretted it. It was supposed to be a summer experiment, but it has lasted almost 2 years now. Netflix and Hulu.com give us all we need.
Depending on your more precise location you can drop $150 on an antenna and get Maury AND The Golden Globes on your television for FREE (well, free aside from the $150 antenna. Just think of it like a month's cable bill). Sure, right now my Glee rerun watching is being absconded with by the blizzard winds, but NCIS *and* The Biggest Loser are still bright and clear to rot my mind.
Good for you for canceling cable! As long as Comcast doesn't pull that per gb billing shit like they are doing with Canadian internet you'll be totally set.
We'll see how long we make it without even the over-the-air option.
we just brought Cable back after a3yr hiatus and we had 1 station that was all fluff and snow. You've got the benefit of the USA stations.
There is no where on the interwebs to get Criminal Minds, though. :-( We only need to see like 8 previous episodes to get us completely caught up to this season. Well, then we would need this season. But you get where I'm going with this. No Criminal Minds on the interwebs!
It's on iTunes. If I bought both iTunes season passes for Criminal Minds 5+6
I would still be saving money after I canceled my cable bill. But I don't
even watch Criminal Minds, so I'm okay :}
I need you to know that you are kind of my hero now. I hope your ok with that. ::zooms off to iTunes::
We kicked the cable habit a few years ago. Netflix streaming is awesome for us. Just so you know there are plenty of online resources to stream your favorite shows, I watched the current season of Dexter within 2 hours of east coast broadcast for free. You just have to nosey around or email me for the link.
Ditto here, went with Roku and Netflix almost a year ago and when they agreed to put HULU on I almost flipped. For a whopping $15 per month, I get every possible show I would ever want to watch (except live sports and news). The former I still care somewhat about and the latter I could care less about. I'll be watching the SuperBowl on my friends $150 cable tab.
it's true. And what's worse most of the things that just "creep" onto the TV are just time killers and not even the things I really want to watch. If my vote counted I would be making that call too :-)