The Cord Cutting Crowd is Exploding in 2018
Lately, streaming services and online streaming devices have been improving to the point where cable TV can’t keep up anymore. The levels of sophistication that subscribers have at their disposal do not only reduce the cost of entertainment, but it also offers them a new degree of personalization and user interaction. Let’s take a look at cord cutting and why it is easier than ever in 2018.
Setup
At first, online streaming was a bit difficult to incorporate in the home entertainment sphere. A computer had to be connected to the TV with an HDMI cable and, as a rule, it was a cluttered and impractical setup.
Google developed the Chromecast to allow users to mirror content in a Google Chrome browser wirelessly to the TV. Next, Amazon came up with the Fire TV that connects directly to a Wi-Fi network and that can be used in collaboration with Amazon Prime or any other third part on-demand streaming services. This makes it possible for subscribers to use these services in a living room setup.
Convenience
Another blow to cable TV companies is the fact that streaming online content is just as convenient as using cable TV. With the Fire TV, for example, you get a remote that you can use to search and select content in a way that is just as easy as switching the channel on your cable TV.
The Fire TV can be controlled with almost anything, including Amazon’s remote app. Replacement remotes need to be paired, but when that is done, you have ample control over the content your watch from your couch.
Perhaps the biggest reason the cord-cutting crowd is exploding is that users can now conveniently choose what they want to watch. Online content libraries are so vast that subscribers usually only stick to one content service at a time.
Live TV Streaming
A benefit that cable TV companies had, but one that they are slowly losing is live TV coverage. Many people were hesitant to cancel their cable subscriptions because they didn’t want to miss out on sports, news, and weather updates. On-demand streaming services were, for a long time, not able to provide this service. This is until services like YouTube Live, DirectTV Now, and PlayStation Vue started offering live TV streaming to people.
High-end and prominent channels are now being live streamed by these services, which provide them in packages that are more affordable than cable. Many people that used cable TV in combination with on-demand services may now be better off by migrating to streaming services completely. Hulu, for example, added live TV streaming to their range of services to provide their subscribers with a one-stop entertainment service.
Additional Content
The content that streaming services provide doesn’t only consist of tv shows and movies. Amazon Prime, for example, give their subscribers access to a wide range of content that includes apps, games, and music. They even have add-on hardware like Bluetooth headsets and gamepads to enhance their subscribers’ experience when they are interacting with this content.
Conclusion
Although this is definitely not the end of cable companies, more and more people are making the shift to online streaming services. Unfortunately for cable companies, the cost of acquiring these services and using them effectively is relatively low. In the years that follow, one may see many companies following in the footsteps of DirectTV Now that started offering their subscribers the services that they wanted.