OT: Cord Cutters--Hulu's Live TV Service to Debut Soon

[ThePennsyOracle]

http://www.multichannel.com/news/content/hulu-targeting-may-launch-live-tv-service-report/412303

https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/13/15292016/hulu-live-tv-price-40-monthly-rumor-youtube-sling-vue

http://fortune.com/hulu-live-stream-tv/

Still basically a cable package online--but the "included" Hulu library is a definite plus. I'm interested to see what the initial price point is, and if the service will include RSNs like PS Vue and YouTube TV.

 

[tboyer]

It's amazing, this whole "cable replacement" streaming thing was started by Sling just 2 years ago and by the end of this year there are going to be dozens of these. I've seen reports that both Verizon and Comcast are getting their own standalone packages ready.

It's all good. It's a big market, and there will be intense competition, and that competition will help keep programming prices in line a lot better than the cable bundling did. In the past, when ESPN wanted another $1 a month, Comcast or Time Warner would say, no, please, don't do that, and then ESPN would go off the air for 24 hours and customers would freak out and ESPN would get its $1 a month and not lose any customers. Now if ESPN or History Channel or anybody wants to raise their price, they'll need a business case, they'll need justification -- just like every other competitive consumer product.

 

[ChiTownLion]

Just wonder how this affects future forecasts of revenue derived from BTN and other media rights. Our master facilities upgrade plan with Populous depends on these revenues.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

Just wonder how this affects future forecasts of revenue derived from BTN and other media rights. Our master facilities upgrade plan with Populous depends on these revenues.

Not sure--it depends on how the deal was structured.

Wasn't the first deal setup so that a cable system had to pay so many cents per subscriber?

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

Bump:

Hulu adds NBC to upcoming live TV service, something a few other services don't have.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

Looks like it's now in beta and priced at $40/month, which includes the standard Hulu library:

https://gizmodo.com/hulus-live-tv-s...source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

 

[Obliviax]

On a tangential but related note, HBO is pulling its stuff from Amazon Prime in mid-2018 when their contract expires. HBO going all-in on their own subscription service (which is crazy because one has to wonder why they did it at all given how close this model is to the core HBO subscription model). Amazon, meanwhile, moving to produce their own content.

What that tells me is that this is going to get more and more fractured as companies try to fill content and others try to sell their own subscriptions.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

On a tangential but related note, HBO is pulling its stuff from Amazon Prime in mid-2018 when their contract expires. HBO going all-in on their own subscription service (which is crazy because one has to wonder why they did it at all given how close this model is to the core HBO subscription model). Amazon, meanwhile, moving to produce their own content.

What that tells me is that this is going to get more and more fractured as companies try to fill content and others try to sell their own subscriptions.

Totally agree. In a roundabout way, such fracturing makes cable/satellite service more attractive. It's a pain in the ass to find content to watch among various services and "free streaming channels." Everyone has a piece of the pie.

Roku is very close to nailing it with their search capability--it's the only streaming device which searches among different services/channels to find content. But, it's not quite "there" yet and it doesn't search all channels.

 

[tboyer]

What that tells me is that this is going to get more and more fractured as companies try to fill content and others try to sell their own subscriptions.

Yep. Welcome to the 21st century. For some people the cable subscription is kind of a refuge -- one clicker gets you everything you're going to get. Simplifies things. Like getting all your groceries from one supermarket.

But those people will miss out on some good stuff. Amazon and Netflix have produced some kick-ass programming -- I think I've watched more Amazon/Netflix original programming in the last year than everything I've watched through conventional TV channels.

Hulu just started airing "Handmaid's Tale" to rave reviews -- it's not available on any cable network, just Hulu. And HBO, which kind of pioneered the whole large--format series genre, has moved away from reliance on cable as its only distribution platform.

I love the choices but I agree, the choices are becoming bewildering. Like having 500 different shampoos to choose from when you go to the drugstore.

 

[tboyer]

And BTW I think the next thing about to happen to TV is people subscribing and unsubscribing to various services for short periods of time so we can cherry pick what we want to see.

I'll keep Amazon Prime and Netflix year round, but everything else, I can see spot-subscribing.

Example: HBO -- subscribe in July/August to see GOT. Hulu: maybe subscribe next month and binge Handmaid's Tale. Better Call Saul -- no way to subscribe to AMC but you can buy a whole season of BCS for about 20 bucks on Amazon.

BTN -- to see PSU games I'll subscribe to SOMETHING that includes BTN for September/October/November.

And you can do none of this on cable by the way. Cable is still about the mega-bundle and the 12 month or 24 month contract locking you into the same channels. I just think too many people are going to resist that in the future. Comcast is going to have to figure out how to be more flexible.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

And BTW I think the next thing about to happen to TV is people subscribing and unsubscribing to various services for short periods of time so we can cherry pick what we want to see.

I'll keep Amazon Prime and Netflix year round, but everything else, I can see spot-subscribing.

Example: HBO -- subscribe in July/August to see GOT. Hulu: maybe subscribe next month and binge Handmaid's Tale. Better Call Saul -- no way to subscribe to AMC but you can buy a whole season of BCS for about 20 bucks on Amazon.

BTN -- to see PSU games I'll subscribe to SOMETHING that includes BTN for September/October/November.

And you can do none of this on cable by the way. Cable is still about the mega-bundle and the 12 month or 24 month contract locking you into the same channels. I just think too many people are going to resist that in the future. Comcast is going to have to figure out how to be more flexible.

I plan to do this, actually.

Also, now that I've cancelled DirecTV, they've offered it for $20/month for a year, and $10/month off year two for a 2-year contract.

 

[tboyer]

I plan to do this, actually.

Also, now that I've cancelled DirecTV, they've offered it for $20/month for a year, and $10/month off year two for a 2-year contract.

I canceled DirecTV about 5 years ago and only just stopped getting their flyers several times a week. They sure know how to generate mail.

 

[PSU_Nut]

Totally agree. In a roundabout way, such fracturing makes cable/satellite service more attractive. It's a pain in the ass to find content to watch among various services and "free streaming channels." Everyone has a piece of the pie.

Roku is very close to nailing it with their search capability--it's the only streaming device which searches among different services/channels to find content. But, it's not quite "there" yet and it doesn't search all channels.

I think the Apple TV universal search is better than Roku. I also like apples universal log in for cable customers. Roku has a much better offering of channels though.

 

[Obliviax]

I think the Apple TV universal search is better than Roku. I also like apples universal log in for cable customers. Roku has a much better offering of channels though.

I love my apple tv. I love the fact I can project any of my online devices on the TV screen. I can watch YouTube and even my own private photos (insert MM jokes here).

The problem is the subscription. Who do you subscribe to and when? Then, you end up with some kind of pay per view (like iTunes) that are way over priced. The good news is that there is so much content, you can't see it all anyway.

 

[PSU_Nut]

I tried all the streaming systems. What holding me back is none of them offfer a cable box experience. I want to be able to channel up and down. Not exit into a menu and pick a new channel. The closest is Comcast who has an app on roku which will emulate a cable box. Would love a Comcast roku app to compliment it.

 

[PSU_Nut]

Just wonder how this affects future forecasts of revenue derived from BTN and other media rights. Our master facilities upgrade plan with Populous depends on these revenues.

I think the BTN is in good position. They found their way on to some of the streaming services. I also see them offering stand alone subscription at some point.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

I tried all the streaming systems. What holding me back is none of them offfer a cable box experience. I want to be able to channel up and down. Not exit into a menu and pick a new channel. The closest is Comcast who has an app on roku which will emulate a cable box. Would love a Comcast roku app to compliment it.

PS Vue on a Playstation (not sure about other devices; I believe all but Roku do this) has the most cable-like/guide experience. It's pretty snazzy.

 

[tboyer]

I tried all the streaming systems. What holding me back is none of them offfer a cable box experience. I want to be able to channel up and down. Not exit into a menu and pick a new channel. The closest is Comcast who has an app on roku which will emulate a cable box. Would love a Comcast roku app to compliment it.

In a streaming world there really aren't channels or time slots or schedule. The "channels" are basically apps that each serve up content in their own way. It's not like there are 200 programs running. The programs are just sitting out there waiting for you to watch them.

If you want to just randomly channel flip like you can on a TV or cable box, you can't really do that with Roku or Apple TV or Chromecast. You can browse menus of various kinds. Netflix autoplays preview videos as you browse now -- they're trying to give people more of the "channel flipping" experience.

Anyway, another 15 years and the very idea of channels and schedules will be kind of an antiquity -- like having a landline with a curly cord.

If you do a live streaming service like Playstation Vue you can look at live streams (and this will opereate through a Roku) But it doesn't flip in a fluid way like a cable box.

This could be something that people miss. Just like people who like to just have the TV on in the background to keep the house from being too quiet when they're alone. I know people like that. Streaming makes that a bit of a challenge -- though again Netflix is trying -- they autoplay the next show in a series. So if you point to a long series, you can get Netflix to just play all day..

 

[PSU_Nut]

PS Vue on a Playstation (not sure about other devices; I believe all but Roku do this) has the most cable-like/guide experience. It's pretty snazzy.

Have they updated it recently? I tried it when it first came out. The other problem that I run into is by the time I bundle the internet with streaming my cable package is cheaper.

 

[PSU_Nut]

In a streaming world there really aren't channels or time slots or schedule. The "channels" are basically apps that each serve up content in their own way. It's not like there are 200 programs running. The programs are just sitting out there waiting for you to watch them.

If you want to just randomly channel flip like you can on a TV or cable box, you can't really do that with Roku or Apple TV or Chromecast. You can browse menus of various kinds. Netflix autoplays preview videos as you browse now -- they're trying to give people more of the "channel flipping" experience.

Anyway, another 15 years and the very idea of channels and schedules will be kind of an antiquity -- like having a landline with a curly cord.

If you do a live streaming service like Playstation Vue you can look at live streams (and this will opereate through a Roku) But it doesn't flip in a fluid way like a cable box.

This could be something that people miss. Just like people who like to just have the TV on in the background to keep the house from being too quiet when they're alone. I know people like that. Streaming makes that a bit of a challenge -- though again Netflix is trying -- they autoplay the next show in a series. So if you point to a long series, you can get Netflix to just play all day..

I probably stream 80% of what I watch but there are sometimes I just want to flip through the channels and see what peaks my interest.

 

[PS4814]

I canceled DirecTV about 5 years ago and only just stopped getting their flyers several times a week. They sure know how to generate mail.

Good lord is that how long it takes for the flyers to stop? I'm only half way there then and that's with 3 different addresses in that time frame and multiple calls telling them to stop sending me junk.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

Have they updated it recently? I tried it when it first came out. The other problem that I run into is by the time I bundle the internet with streaming my cable package is cheaper.

I don't know what "recently" is, but the guide interface is pretty slick.

 

[Hugh Manatee]

I tried all the streaming systems. What holding me back is none of them offfer a cable box experience. I want to be able to channel up and down. Not exit into a menu and pick a new channel. The closest is Comcast who has an app on roku which will emulate a cable box. Would love a Comcast roku app to compliment it.

Play Station Vue offers the cable guide if you use it with a Play Station 4. They also sell a cable-like remote control at Target. I have adapted to the Dual Shock Controller.

 

[Cletus11]

"TV" is changing at a rapid rate. Here is a question, is it really "TV" anymore. As noted, things are going to on-line content where less and less is being watched 'live'. The next big thing that will put a stake in the cable industry (Comcast/TW) is when cellular is fast enough such that you no longer need the high speed cable line into your hourse. Comcast and TW and the Verizon, etc...still charge an arm and leg for that cable line as they know you have to have it. Now when we get to the point, maybe 5G or 6G, such that I can get my internet connection without a wire and sign up for unlimited data via cellular, then the floodgates open as you will have mass market competition the way there are tons of cell phone services.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

"TV" is changing at a rapid rate. Here is a question, is it really "TV" anymore. As noted, things are going to on-line content where less and less is being watched 'live'. The next big thing that will put a stake in the cable industry (Comcast/TW) is when cellular is fast enough such that you no longer need the high speed cable line into your hourse. Comcast and TW and the Verizon, etc...still charge an arm and leg for that cable line as they know you have to have it. Now when we get to the point, maybe 5G or 6G, such that I can get my internet connection without a wire and sign up for unlimited data via cellular, then the floodgates open as you will have mass market competition the way there are tons of cell phone services.

You bring up interesting points about cellular data. I get ~60mbps at home on VZW 4G, more than enough to stream whatever I want. With that said, if you read the fine print of VZW's "unlimited" you'll notice that data gets throttled eventually. Sure, you can use as much as you want--but it's not all going to be at 4G speed.

 

[tboyer]

You bring up interesting points about cellular data. I get ~60mbps at home on VZW 4G, more than enough to stream whatever I want. With that said, if you read the fine print of VZW's "unlimited" you'll notice that data gets throttled eventually. Sure, you can use as much as you want--but it's not all going to be at 4G speed.

Verizon (and all the others) throttle between 20 and 30 gigs at peak usage times. So if you're a light TV watcher it can work as your internet connection. I have a work colleague who does this -- he just puts his Verizon phone in hotspot mode. And he telecommutes from home, writing software, so he needs a rock solid connection.

It's not quite a Moore's Law pace, but bandwidth gets cheaper every year, wired and wireless. It was just 5-6 years ago AT&T and Verizon phased out their unlimited plans (angering lots of customers) because they didn't think they had enough bandwidth to support them even at 3G speed. Now everybody's got more LTE bandwidth than they know what to do with, which is why the unlimited plans (and yes, throttled at 100 gigs or whatever) have been reintroduced and are so cheap. If you're only an occasional watcher of TV, you really can use it as your home internet.

Just 7-8 years ago I was getting a solid 15 megabit Fios connection and that seemed awesome. Now for pretty close to the same price Fios offers 960 megabits in certain markets. Five years ago I was getting about a 20 megabit connection from Comcast, then it went to 25, then 50, then 100. 100 megabit is basically Comcast's most common internet these days. As Comcast rolls out Docsis 3.1, their sweet spot will probably be 200 megabit.

5G is at least 5 years away but some markets will see experiments sooner. But that will be revolutionary because there will be fewer towers broadcasting at much greater range, and the volume of bandwidth will be vast by today's standards. Probably 5G will be viable for home internet. Plus there are all kinds of hybrid systems being tried in urban areas like Netblazr -- wired network backbones that deliver the last quarter mile wirelessly to rooftop antennas. Much cheaper than maintaining cable to everybody's house.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

Verizon (and all the others) throttle between 20 and 30 gigs at peak usage times. So if you're a light TV watcher it can work as your internet connection. I have a work colleague who does this -- he just puts his Verizon phone in hotspot mode. And he telecommutes from home, writing software, so he needs a rock solid connection.

It's not quite a Moore's Law pace, but bandwidth gets cheaper every year, wired and wireless. It was just 5-6 years ago AT&T and Verizon phased out their unlimited plans (angering lots of customers) because they didn't think they had enough bandwidth to support them even at 3G speed. Now everybody's got more LTE bandwidth than they know what to do with, which is why the unlimited plans (and yes, throttled at 100 gigs or whatever) have been reintroduced and are so cheap. If you're only an occasional watcher of TV, you really can use it as your home internet.

Just 7-8 years ago I was getting a solid 15 megabit Fios connection and that seemed awesome. Now for pretty close to the same price Fios offers 960 megabits in certain markets. Five years ago I was getting about a 20 megabit connection from Comcast, then it went to 25, then 50, then 100. 100 megabit is basically Comcast's most common internet these days. As Comcast rolls out Docsis 3.1, their sweet spot will probably be 200 megabit.

5G is at least 5 years away but some markets will see experiments sooner. But that will be revolutionary because there will be fewer towers broadcasting at much greater range, and the volume of bandwidth will be vast by today's standards. Probably 5G will be viable for home internet. Plus there are all kinds of hybrid systems being tried in urban areas like Netblazr -- wired network backbones that deliver the last quarter mile wirelessly to rooftop antennas. Much cheaper than maintaining cable to everybody's house.

On the "unlimited plan" VZW will throttle after 10GB of mobile hotspot usage--i.e. the way you'd watch movies at home if you used it as your internet. This is right on their website FAQs about the "unimited plan".

What happens once I've used the 10 GB limit for Mobile Hotspot?
With the new Verizon Plan Unlimited, you get a 10 GB allowance of high-speed 4G LTE data for Mobile Hotspot each billing cycle. Once you've used the 10 GB of 4G LTE data, your Mobile Hotspot data speed will be reduced to 3G speeds for the rest of the billing cycle. Data will continue to be unlimited while your Mobile Hotspot is reduced to 3G speeds.


I hear what you're saying about data getting cheaper--I just don't see it your way.

 

[Creek Side]

"TV" is changing at a rapid rate. Here is a question, is it really "TV" anymore. As noted, things are going to on-line content where less and less is being watched 'live'. The next big thing that will put a stake in the cable industry (Comcast/TW) is when cellular is fast enough such that you no longer need the high speed cable line into your hourse. Comcast and TW and the Verizon, etc...still charge an arm and leg for that cable line as they know you have to have it. Now when we get to the point, maybe 5G or 6G, such that I can get my internet connection without a wire and sign up for unlimited data via cellular, then the floodgates open as you will have mass market competition the way there are tons of cell phone services.

None of these major company's are going to lay down and die. They evolve to meet demand, and competition pushes technology. Verizon's dsl is what it is and won't really evolve into anything else, but it doesn't need to because of their wireless.
Comcast just through their hat into the wireless cell business, just because... they can. Times are changing and so are people's habits and needs, buy these company's didn't get that big without great leadership and foresight. Even with all this cord cutter talk in the press, Comcast still manages to add video customers. I wouldn't be so quick to think that land line based services are going to dry up.

 

[tboyer]

On the "unlimited plan" VZW will throttle after 10GB of mobile hotspot usage--i.e. the way you'd watch movies at home if you used it as your internet. This is right on their website FAQs about the "unimited plan".

What happens once I've used the 10 GB limit for Mobile Hotspot?
With the new Verizon Plan Unlimited, you get a 10 GB allowance of high-speed 4G LTE data for Mobile Hotspot each billing cycle. Once you've used the 10 GB of 4G LTE data, your Mobile Hotspot data speed will be reduced to 3G speeds for the rest of the billing cycle. Data will continue to be unlimited while your Mobile Hotspot is reduced to 3G speeds.


I hear what you're saying about data getting cheaper--I just don't see it your way.

That is very strict. It wouldn't be my choice for internet but I know people to do it -- on VZW and other providers. VZW is the most expensive thing out there, always has been and always will be. They are losing customers rather rapidly as people have found out that the second tier providers -- T-Mo and Sprint -- are a lot better than they used to be.