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The Future of Pay TV

S

ssetta

With all the streaming services available these days, more and more people are cutting the cord. So it makes me wonder how much longer a lot of these cable networks will even be on the air. Why keep them on if less people are subscribing to them?

The main network I wonder about is HBO. As I'm sure a lot of you have heard, there will be a new streaming service called HBO Max launching in May, though I don't think an exact date has been announced. I know of quite a few shows that will be moving from the regular HBO to HBO Max. So it's like I wonder if HBO Max will eventually replace regular HBO. Does anyone know the date?
 
ssetta said:
With all the streaming services available these days, more and more people are cutting the cord. So it makes me wonder how much longer a lot of these cable networks will even be on the air. Why keep them on if less people are subscribing to them?
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However, to stream TV, you need an ISP. Most people use the cable company as ISP. In most places, they offer the best packages. It's all about the bundle. You need a wire to become wireless. Nobody uses wired phone service but if its bundled with your internet, you end up having a landline. Cable will be that way at some point.

The game the channels are playing is creating a content package people want, on a platform that has channels people want. So far, there is no streaming service that offers everything. The customer has to decide what they want, how much they want to pay, and how much work they want to go through to watch it. Cable makes it convenient.
 
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ssetta said:
With all the streaming services available these days, more and more people are cutting the cord. So it makes me wonder how much longer a lot of these cable networks will even be on the air. Why keep them on if less people are subscribing to them?

The main network I wonder about is HBO. As I'm sure a lot of you have heard, there will be a new streaming service called HBO Max launching in May, though I don't think an exact date has been announced. I know of quite a few shows that will be moving from the regular HBO to HBO Max. So it's like I wonder if HBO Max will eventually replace regular HBO. Does anyone know the date?
Click to expand...

This is why more and more HBO has shifted into producing original programming.
Things like their Chernobyl miniseries (which was excellent) that you can't get anyplace else
to draw viewers there.
 
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I'm going to admit that the main reason why I'm so anxious for HBO Max to launch ... is because that's where the beloved Sesame Street is moving to. So for the first time ever, Sesame Street episodes will exclusively be streaming, and not on actual TV, which is a big change. But here's the thing: I've also been told that a LOT of the show's 50-year library will be included, I just don't know exactly how much. I've read sources that say "a broad selection of the show's 4,500-episode library." What exactly do you think they mean by "a broad selection?" I just hope it's a lot of them. I don't know how many of you here are Sesame Street fans, but as some of you know, I'm probably the biggest Sesame Street fan you'll ever meet. And they used to do a lot more episodes per season than they do now. They used to do 130 episodes a season, and they never had reruns. A majority of the episodes have not been seen by the public in decades.

But there's another thing I wonder about: I know that no official date has been announced for HBO Max, other than it being in May. But I do know that the current season of Sesame Street will continue to air on the regular HBO. So it's possible that Sesame Street won't be on HBO Max until the next season premieres.
 
ssetta said:
I'm going to admit that the main reason why I'm so anxious for HBO Max to launch ... is because that's where the beloved Sesame Street is moving to. So for the first time ever, Sesame Street episodes will exclusively be streaming, and not on actual TV, which is a big change. But here's the thing: I've also been told that a LOT of the show's 50-year library will be included, I just don't know exactly how much. I've read sources that say "a broad selection of the show's 4,500-episode library." What exactly do you think they mean by "a broad selection?" I just hope it's a lot of them. I don't know how many of you here are Sesame Street fans, but as some of you know, I'm probably the biggest Sesame Street fan you'll ever meet. And they used to do a lot more episodes per season than they do now. They used to do 130 episodes a season, and they never had reruns. A majority of the episodes have not been seen by the public in decades.

But there's another thing I wonder about: I know that no official date has been announced for HBO Max, other than it being in May. But I do know that the current season of Sesame Street will continue to air on the regular HBO. So it's possible that Sesame Street won't be on HBO Max until the next season premieres.
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When I was kid (I'm 47), our PBS network showed Sesame Street a couple times a day, plus they had Sunday morning airings as well. So we definitely had reruns where I lived. I remember seeing the episode where the adults saw Mr Snuffleupagus for the first time multiple times. I don't know how they cycled through their reruns for the Sunday showing, I assume they just showed episodes from the past year.

I agree, it would be neat to be able to see some older episodes, to see Mr Hooper again for instance.
 
https://www.fiercevideo.com/operators/deeper-dive-inevitability-a-dish-network-directv-merger


Now there is an editorial on what happens if Dish Merged with Directv

The U.S. satellite TV industry is crashing back down to earth, making it increasingly likely that Dish Network and DirecTV will need to join forces to avoid burning up on reentry.

It’s an idea that’s been floated before but not without scrutiny. MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett said the alarming rate of satellite subscriber losses could be enough to sway regulators but that a merger would be difficult to finance. However, AT&T’s John Stankey has said that DirecTV is a crucial piece of his company’s video strategy, and that it’s not for sale.

This week, though, Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen left little doubt that a merger of some sort between Dish and DirecTV would have to happen.

“It’s inevitable that those two should go together because the growth in TV is not coming from linear satellite TV providers,” said Ergen during Dish’s earnings call Wednesday. He said the regulatory environment is usually behind the marketplace and that there still could be some regulatory issues there but warned that the two satellite providers can’t keep competing alone.

“You can’t swim upstream against a real tide of over-the-top players,” Ergen said.
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