[US] Cord Cutting accelerates

[Dr Mordrid]

NO BRAINER, and with the upcoming internet constellations (Starlink, OneWeb, Telesat...), ISP competition may actually happen.

https://deadline.com/2019/03/nearly-3m-pay-tv-subscribers-cut-service-in-2018-double-2017-rate-study-1202570400/

3M Pay-TV Subscribers Cut Service In 2018, Double 2017 Total – Study

The pace of cord-cutting accelerated in 2018, with the largest pay-TV providers shedding about 2.9 million video subscribers, nearly double the 1.5 million subscriber losses in 2017, according to the latest study by Leichtman Research Group.

The research firm, which tracks providers covering about 95% of the market, found that gains from virtual MVPD services (aka “skinny bundles”) are not making up for the conventional subscriber losses. That indicates that a growing number of viewers are doing without pay-TV altogether, presumably in favor of lower-cost subscription services like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime Video.
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and

[UtwigMU]

Here ISPs, Cell providers and Cable providers have all consolidated and they all offer NET + TV + wired + cell packages.

A cell provider bought an ISP and Cable provider bought Cell provider which had previously bought another ISP.

National TV and a few other channels are OTA

TV packages range from basic which include free channels and pay channels with sports, movies, entertainment.

I have only net, work pays for my cell phone, don't own a TV set. Still because I have electricity I have to pay 12€ a month for national TV subscription in utilities bill.

If you own a radio set, including in your car, you need to pay 3€ radio subscription if you don't have mandatory national TV subscription.

[Dr Mordrid]

Here radio and OTA TV are free, and there is also consolidation. The rub comes when local govts enter into what amounts to exclusionary agreements with 1-2 cable/ISP providers, or in suburban, exurban and rural areas where choices are also limited. Result: few choices, no competition, high prices.

[UtwigMU]

Here copper and optics are unbound. For example I have another ISP's Internet over Telecom's fiber optics. Telecom and ISPs are required to rent optics and fiber to other ISPs under same conditions.

Used to be national Telecom had ADSL but forced everyone to buy ISDN bound with ADSL (even if people didn't need two numbers and ISDN features)

[VJ]

In Belgium, the TV offer is as UtwigMU mentions, with plenty of all-on-one packages. In addition, they offer many VOD features (one operator is planning to add Netflix on its decoder box and in the subscription). Also, the operators started offering a TV without decoder box, internet only and then offer TV streaming through their apps. So the operators are adjusting...

[UtwigMU]

In Belgium, the TV offer is as UtwigMU mentions, with plenty of all-on-one packages. In addition, they offer many VOD features (one operator is planning to add Netflix on its decoder box and in the subscription). Also, the operators started offering a TV without decoder box, internet only and then offer TV streaming through their apps. So the operators are adjusting...

Also on my ISP (don't know if it's case still) if you had at least one TV package, you could watch other channels from higher packages using VLC if you got list of IPs which were circulating on the forums.