These are scary times for cable and satellite television services.
Hardly a day goes by without news about disappearing viewers and shrinking revenues. And why?
It is called industry disruptive change or otherwise known as digital disruption.
(See our article on competitive analysis)
The winds of change are definitely blowing and now is your chance to select an alternative to cable and satellite services.
When the winds of change are blowing, you can either build a shelter or a windmill.
These are the cable and satellite providers that many of us fork over more than two thousand dollars of our hard-earned money to, year after year.
And even though we’re seeing more ads and less real programming than ever.
The cable/television industry is going through what we call a “disruptive” change. This is a phenomenon that has transformed many other industries.
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The bad news is that when the dust of disruptive change settles, historically even the best-run companies typically end up in the loser’s column.
In the computing industry, for example, Digital Equipment Corporation missed the personal computer (P.C.) in the early 1980′s. It started to fall apart in the early 1990′s and got acquired by Compaq in 1998.
Dell Computer’s low-cost business model destroyed Compaq, forcing a merger with Hewlett-Packard (H.P.) in 2001.
Dell’s continued incursion into the P.C. and printing office now threatens H.P. HP announced more than 10,000 layoffs a few years back in an effort to remain competitive.
It’s the same thing that happened to the book industry with Amazon.com. It now includes e-books on demand.
It’s the same thing that happened to the financial industry when they started trading stocks online instead of using traditional stockbrokers.
And to the record companies that once ruled the music industry with an iron fist. And the typewriter industry with the advent of word processing on the computer.
The list goes on and on.
If you have an Internet connection, you can probably ditch your pricey cable television subscription. Believe me, you will not notice even a hiccup in your viewing habits.
You’ll still be able to watch all the shows you love, and will even find some new favorites.
By combining a number of streaming services, you can enjoy almost all the same programming. Compared to the ones you get out of a cable subscription and while saving money in the process.
Netflix
Netflix is an awesome repository of filmed entertainment. It’s probably the most ubiquitous streaming service out there.
It is best known as a source for movies while also offering full seasons of television and its own original content.
We especially appreciate Netflix for its two distinct types of “new releases”. This includes the stuff that’s fresh from the movie theaters.
It also includes the older-but-still-great stuff that Netflix makes available to its customers. You can subscribe to Netflix for as little as $7.99 per month.
Cable and satellite services … Hulu+
Use Hulu+ for watching your TV shows a day or two after they’ve aired. It covers plenty of cable and broadcast channels’ content, from “The Good Wife” to “Saturday Night Live”. This goes all the way back to season one.
There are minimal ads. That is a reasonable trade for such a quick turnaround time in streaming new shows.
You can receive Hulu+ for as little as $7 per month.
Aereo
Aereo is the tool you need to keep up with live sporting events or other special television happenings.
Aereo takes your area’s over-the-air television signals and puts them online.
Your monthly fee pays to rent a physical antenna in a data center, where it picks up signals and sends them straight to your computer.
Because it’s online, Aereo has some handy DVR-like features built into its service, letting you pause live TV and record shows for later.
Aereo is the only streaming serviceable to effectively offer live sporting events. This is because it’s capturing a signal that’s already going out over the airwaves in real-time.
The downside here is geography. This is because Aereo is limited to some major cities.
Check out the company’s site to make sure you’re included. If it is available in your area, it is available for $8 per month
Cheap cable and internet packages … Amazon instant video
You might consider Amazon Instant Video, Amazon’s response to Netflix.
I’ve always thought of Amazon’s Instant Video streaming service as something of a nice-to-have. This is rather than an essential, outlet for streaming media junkies.
You can generally find its offerings elsewhere, but don’t be fooled. There are still some great gems tucked away.
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, the best part is that you already pay for the service.
So that is a great reason to start taking advantage of it. Download the free iOS app here.
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Cable television providers … HBO GO
This one is very straightforward. If you subscribe to HBO, you can take advantage of HBO GO. This is the streaming service that makes all HBO content available on-demand.
This includes its original series, documentaries, as well as whatever movies it’s playing at that time.
Apple TV
Want to take advantage of streaming media, but want it on your TV? The Apple TV pulls together Netflix, Hulu+, HBO GO, and more to turn your television into an awesome media center.
If you have an Apple computer at home, that only makes it more capable.
You can stream your music and movies to the TV, or even mirror the desktop over Wi-Fi.
Roku 3
If you want Apple TV-like functionality without the Apple brand name attached, Roku is your best option. Stream TV, watch movies, and even play games.
We love the fact that the remote control even has a headphone jack so you can listen to shows without disturbing anyone.
