Cable has been around since 1948 and back then it was all the rage. In this day and age, people have started to cut the cord and get rid of their cable. This is possible because of how many other streaming services are available now. This selection ranges from Hulu, Roku, Youtube TV, Amazon Fire and the newest thing yet, Sling. All these services are meant to be used as a replacement for cable. They provide about the same amount of channels and services as a regular cable box would; however, there are some issues that come along when cutting the cord.
While both types of services offer the same things, one lacks more than the other. Services like Roku, Hulu, Youtube Tv, and Amazon fire do not provide as many channels as the cable services do. they have very select channels that come included with the service and other channels which you have to pay a monthly subscription to be able to watch their shows. These outside services can end up costing way more than the cable box service does. While the outside services themselves can be much cheaper than the cable box service, in the end, it means giving up certain channels and shows that one is not willing to part with.
This is an issue I currently face with my family. My mom has been talking about cutting off Xfinity because we all watch TV on our laptops or iPhones now. However, we keep telling her that even though we physically do not watch the tv in our room, we use Xfinity's on-demand service on our devices. We still get our money's worth out of cable-- just not out of our physical televisions.
The Four Ps associated with outside streaming services are as follows:
- Products: These services are something that the consumers clearly want. Many people have made the switch from hundred dollars worth of cable bills to a small monthly charge for practically the same service. These services have changed the name of the game and the market will never revert back to solely cable usage.
- Price: The price for these services are ridiculously low in comparison to cable prices. One can pay as low as $10 a month for a free range of channels and packages on these services while with cable you pay upwards of $200 dollars a month, which includes the rental charge of the cable top box. The price of these services is definitely more appealing to the customers.
- Place: The place of these services are was more convenient than with a cable service provider. there is no need for a technician to come and install or repair anything. It is a simple online service which does not require any outside help to start up.
- Promotion: These services are widely promoted all over the place. Youtube Red's service is promoted from places like time square to billboards and even the radio. Services like this are promoted on their competition. There are plenty of Roku, Hulu, and Amazon fire commercials presented on cable's most popular channels.
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Due to technological advances the way we watch television has changed drastically from the old box television sets to high definition flat screens. And to supply the demand cable companies and competitors like Hulu, and Youtube (who offer a cheaper alternative than cable) have jumped on the band wagon and customers have responded. I recently downsized my AT&T Uverse package that was costing me $260.00 per month, it wasn't till I calculated how much I had spent for 9 years, my jaw dropped! I realized I hardly watched cable-tv and I was basically throwing my money away. I immediately downsized and oped to watching Youtube for a fraction of the price. Honestly, I don't miss my Uverse package and I especially appreciate the savings.
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