<p>The decision by HBO to offer its own streamlining video service beginning next year has already had repercussions in the media industry, as Amazon’s stock took a rather significant hit today. But I wonder if the provider services such as Optimum and Verizon FiOS had a heads up on HBO’s plan because both have greatly reduced their prices in recent weeks. Did Optimum and Verizon FiOS foresee the end of traditional cable TV service possibly instigated by HBO’s plan? Come to think of it, Direct TV has been offering big promotions lately too. But I thought that was attributable to the new football season, as it usually is.</p>
<p>HBO will stream its own content?! Awesome. If CNBC and CNN do so, I will ditch Comcast.</p>
<p>(So far, I have not seen a dent in my Comcast pricing).</p>
<p>“But I wonder if the provider services such as Optimum and Verizon FiOS had a heads up on HBO’s plan because both have greatly reduced their prices in recent weeks.”</p>
<p>I’ve been getting inundated with Verizon Fios promo offers weekly for several years now - but every time I add up what it costs for comparable service to what I have with Time Warner - it’s just as expensive. I do use them to get my cable package price reduced every year when my TW deal expires. </p>
<p>Yes Emilybee, but lately…oh look, a Verizon FiOS ad just magically appeared in the margin of my screen! LOL.</p>
<p>Emilybee, it seem like the Verion FiOS promotions have been in overdrive mode for about two weeks or so.</p>
<p>I should have paid attention when my daughter told me she dropped Netflix. I would have made money today.</p>
<p>"Emilybee, it seem like the Verion FiOS promotions have been in overdrive mode for about two weeks or so. "</p>
<p>Twice in two days last month they came to my door which I don’t recall them doing since they first were putting in FIOS several (5 maybe) years ago, so maybe that is a part of this new outreach. </p>
<p>CBS announced their own digital streaming service today for $5.99/month. Wonder how many will follow now that these two have started the ball rolling.
<a href=“CBS Just Announced a Digital Streaming Service”>CBS Just Announced a Digital Streaming Service; </p>
<p>I just need HBO, H2, and the Science Channel and I’d ditch cable.
I don’t really watch TV, but when I do, I need to see the crappy stuff on H2. Ancient Aliens? Yes please! </p>
<p>I’m honestly surprised it’s taken companies this long to figure out that there’s a market for individual channels. </p>
<p>Maybe this will force the cable companies to change their package and pricing structure. I can dream, can’t I?</p>
<p>There was an article I read not too long ago about how paying for unbundled channels won’t really save people money. I’ll see if I can find it. </p>
<p>Not the one I read before but similar enough. </p>
<p><a href=“The push to unbundle your cable bill”>http://money.cnn.com/2013/08/02/technology/cable-a-la-carte/</a></p>
<p>I used to work in TV, and I can assure you that the industry has known for ever that there’s a market for individual channels. Problem is, that’s not how the industry works, at least not now. Most channels are sold in bundles to providers, hence they’re sold that way (actually in still even bigger bundles) to consumers. If you want HBO, you’re going to get HBO Latino whether you want it or not. If your kids watch Nickelodeon, you’ll have to pay for MTV too, even if no one ever watches it. </p>
<p>Providing each channel separately will cost more, period. And a lot of programming will simply vanish. If a la carte paid programming does come to pass, romanigypsyeyes can say goodbye to H2, and we can all say goodbye to Turner Classic Movies since hardly anyone under 40 watches it. No more TCM! What a sad world would that be…</p>
<p>Of course, the days of TV-as-we-know-it-today are rapidly coming to an end. Technology will change how we watch and what we watch. It won’t necessarily make it cheaper or better. </p>
<p>It won’t cost more since I have no intention of buying all the channels I currently get.</p>
<p>The total of your bill might be lower, but don’t think you’ll be saving a ton. A la carte programming can quickly lead to a la carte pricing for individual shows. HBO might be cheap to stream but HBO with Game of Thrones premiering episodes won’t be quite-so-cheap. </p>
<p>Unless of course, the channels you want to watch disappear. Then you will save :)</p>
<p>Never underestimate corporate America’s talent for taking money from you. </p>
<p>Multiple congressional attempts to pass bills forcing cable companies to offer TV content ala carte have been defeated, thought perhaps that option may suddenly become available in light of HBO’s announcement. But really, cable companies have been reading the tea leaves and undoubtedly saw this coming. Certainly, they’ve long taken note of the fact that fewer and fewer people are viewing traditional television. Young people in particular are obtaining video content via the internet, watching Youtube, streaming games, and engaging social media. I rarely watch conventional television anymore, but opt instead to watch specialty content via streaming services to which I pay a monthly fee for ad free access. This is why the internet as we know it (i.e., a free and open internet) is about to go bye-bye, and accessing it is soon going to cost us all a whole lot more. The war to preserve net neutrality has been raging hotly for years, but recently the FCC has proposed changes that will open the door for major media corporations to price tier internet access and speed for both end point users and companies maintaining business related websites. The implications for all of us are huge, but few of us seem to even be aware that this fight is being waged. I suppose it will only be after the changes have been made that will we all look up and wonder what the heck happened. But by then, it’ll be too late. 
</p>
<p>Good point, poetsheart. Remember when TV was free and open? We can kiss free and open internet goodbye the same way. But hey, we won’t be paying for cable! Yey! (Except the same companies will still end up getting the money from us - and more than we’re paying now.)</p>
<p>I want one local channel, and I’m pretty agnostic between NBC and ABC. Right now I pay the equivalent of $24/month over what I’d pay just for internet in order to get basic minus cable (broadcast plus various sell-ya-stuff channels). </p>
<p>2 months ago I called up Uverse to cancel cable. The rep offered me an upgrade to U300 at a lower price for 12 months but I would have to sign for 24. I had already made up my mind that cable was no longer necessary and declined the offer. Now that I have an empty nest TV is only important for football. Using a cheap HD antenna from Lowes, I get the football games on Saturday, Sunday and Thursday but not ESPN for Monday Night Football. I can live with that.</p>
<p>I have not had cable for years. I now have Hulu plus, Netflix streaming and Amazon Prime. In my mind, that is already too many but each offers something I want. I hope HBO doesn’t offer a separate streaming service and instead does a deal with someone else such as Amazon. </p>
<p>@arabrab - can you just use an antenna or are you too far from the transmitter to get good reception? If you could, you could have abc and nbc for free.</p>