If you are thinking about what exactly defines a cable TV in today’s world and is cable TV dying, or what changes you should expect from your new cable TV provider, reading this post will help you in finding the right answers. We have shared some cable TV alternatives that have declined the importance of traditional TV.
What is Cable TV?
Cable television, in its simplest form, is the system that propagates television signals via satellites or by utilizing cables comprising coaxial or optic-fiber. But, to remain competitive in the market, Cable TV is not now limited to broadcasting only.
While it is obvious that your cable operator will offer you access to broadcast, satellite or PEG channels, the recent trends have led them to redefine the meaning of cable TV. The cable operators have started to offer a number of subscription channels like Showtime or Cinemax on additional charges. Also, they may offer pay-per-view channels to let the user access unedited events like concerts or combat sports.
The Best Cable TV Providers
If you want the best bang for your buck, follow the given steps to find the right cable tv providers in your town:
- Find the Available Options
Almost everywhere in the US, satellite TV providers are available but they generally don’t offer internet connections so you will need to search for a separate internet service provider which will increase cost. Rather, finding a cable TV provider offering internet services in bundles can fetch you a discount. This also saves your time of finding separate service providers for each connection. - Search Online Reviews
Now that you have found the available service providers, check for the reviews sharing prices, customer satisfaction and quality of equipment installed. This prior research will help in narrowing down the list to legit cable tv providers so that you will not face any connection or technical problems in the future.
You can also read user experiences of companies that offer TV subscriptions by clicking this link. - Check Channel Lineups
A package containing myriads of channels but not the one you love watching will amount to nothing but wasting money. Therefore, before signing up, it is best to review the plan and ensure that top-rated channels are available in the plan.
If you want to explore your options before buying a subscription then read reviews of Solid Signal and other companies. - Ask if There are Any Deals
Most of the cable TV providers offer additional discounts to attract new customers. Such deals can often save you $20/month or even more for the initial year. Inquire whether your chosen cable operator is offering such discounts or not. If not, you may skip to the other options as there must be at least one service provider featuring deals to serve their customers warmly. You can read reviews of Vidgo and other TV service providers to explore your options.
You can find a comprehensive list of company reviews about telecom providers which includes cable TV subscription providers on US-Reviews.
Is Cable TV Dying?
Although cable operators are trying their best to attract subscribers, recent years have seen a rise in cable elimination from households. With the emergence of streaming platforms like Netflix, Sling TV or Amazon.com, Inc., the people were granted wider access to entertainment which thereby resulted in diminishing the first purpose of TV.
Access to multiple useless channels is also not the interest of customers. Rather, they prefer accessing and paying for the channels they would watch. Whereas the top-rated media channels including HBO have begun to offer streaming content. Hence, the availability of cable TV alternatives is decreasing the purpose of getting cable connections.
This leaves behind only one attractive feature of TV – broadcasting live sporting events. But with the pandemic and sports discontinuation, the decline of cable TV further accelerated.
According to the report published by MoffettNathanson, a market-research firm, the pay-tv industry faced a loss of 6 million subscribers in 2020 alone. This has tipped the decline rate from 3% (from the last two years) to 6.9% (in 2020), and to 7.3% in 2021.
On the other hand, there was a rise observed in broadband customers. With that said, there are around 93% American adults who use the internet occasionally if not regularly. So, it is more convenient for them to switch between laptops and phones instead of sitting in front of the TV. In short, if you’re still wondering if cable TV is dying, then not quite. However, every year more and more people are cancelling their subscriptions. So cable TV providers may need to adapt to a new strategy to stay in the competition.
Conclusion
The revolution of traditional TVs into smart TVs and the change in services of cable TV providers signifies that the telecommunications industry is trying its best to blend in with the digitized world. Whether they will succeed in sustaining their space or not is still a story untold. However, the transformation was inevitable and the pandemic has become a reason to stimulate it in all sectors.
