will be interesting what the media corporations response will be over the next decade, I think Sony is making a wise choice
Cord cutting is accelerating as more people in the U.S. turn to Internet services such as Netflix, Hulu and YouTube to watch their favorite programs.
About 150,000 pay-TV customers canceled video service in the three months that ended June 30, according to estimates published on Friday by Leichtman Research Group.
Pay-TV systems lost 25,000 subscribers during the same time period last year, Leichtman said.
Sony, satellite-TV provider Dish Network and other companies have announced plans to start pay-TV systems that transmit channels over-the-Internet and offer smaller, less-expensive bundles. Sony and Dish said their aim is the attract younger consumers who have so far never signed up for traditional cable TV service.
Time Warner Cable lost the most with 182,000 defections, followed by Comcast with 81,000, according to Leichtman. Comcast, the biggest cable company in the U.S., is seeking permission from regulators to buy Time Warner Cable, the industry's second-biggest, for $45 billion.
AT&T, with its U-verse fiber-optic TV service, picked up the most subscribers with 216,000 new customers, Leichtman said. AT&T is seeking permission to buy satellite-TV provider DirecTV, which lost 28,000 subscribers, for $48.5 billion.
The 13 biggest pay-TV services in the U.S., which account for about 95% of the market, reach 95.3 million U.S. homes with a pay-TV service, according to Leichtman's estimates. That compares to the 115.6 million U.S. homes with at least one TV set, according to Nielsen.
Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst at the research company, expects the industry to reverse some of those losses and modestly add subscribers during the final three months of the year.
18 Feb ’12
We only have internet access for entertainment. We don't even use our digital antenna. Not watching live network or cable shows allows us to police what shows and commercials the kids watch. The pervasive commercialism of kids shows is absolutely vulgar to me. I guess it saves me from having to listen to my kids beg for everything they see on TV, too.
If it isn't on Netflix via the Wii or on DVD, we just don't watch it. I'll also stream some sports directly off the computer via HDMI because one of the computers is on the other side of the wall.
Screen entertainment is one of the things we struggle with and reevaluate a lot. My daughters are in school, but my sons (4 and 3) watch a couple of shows after schoolwork and chores, usually as a winddown for nap time. They also use the computers as part of their schoolwork, and then there's usually a couple of shows or a movie before bed. My wife deserves a lot of credit because she keeps those two knuckleheads busy most of the day with schoolwork, outdoor activities, chores, baking, or playdates.
18 Feb ’12
My daughters are both in a parochial school. Honestly it's a year to year evaluation. The first time we homeschooled my 15 year old the public school was in chaos during her 4th grade year and we felt like we had too. We homeschooled her for 8th grade because she was really being held back by her classmates at the parochial school who need remedial math and English. I'm glad we have the option of homeschooling if we need it. We're a little selfish, if the present schooling situation isn't meeting our kids' needs, we have no problem schooling them ourselves. My 8 year old might be homeschooled after the winter break.
The boys (4 and 3) just want to go to school because their sisters do, so we indulge them. There's a great homeschooling community here in town, so they go to the various activities around town.
18 Feb ’12
KVR said
I don't think that is selfish at all
Well, we've been criticized, in a constructive way, for cutting and running. Our kids go to a parochial school and we are very involved in the parish and the school. So, in a way, when we pulled our daughter it was like firing our friends. We were encouraged to stay and be part of the solution and community, but there was no way her classmates were going to catch up in math, and frankly, she was losing her hunger to learn. My wife dropped out of high school for the same reason. We feel a little vindicated, though, because she's a sophomore and in her second year of honors math and English.
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