How Do You Watch TV? New Services Make a Case for Cutting the Cord
LAST WEEK’S EPISODE: Is Jimmy Fallon’s Game Show Version of Late Night Ruining Comedy?
Everyone watches television differently these days. From the old school cable subscribers to the new age internet-only viewers, TV is no longer just for TV. It’s on our computers, phones, tablets and virtually anywhere we want a screen to be. But many of TV’s most ardent fans (read: heavy watchers) haven’t been able to take full advantage of the new era without paying extra. They may like using their Apple TV or PS3 to access Netflix, Hulu, Amazon or any of the other streaming networks, but only as an addition to their mandatory basic cable package. When and how will those viewers finally be able to cut the cord completely? When will everyone?
Of late, companies have made an even more aggressive push to court consumers looking for easier access to what they want to view. Verizon Fios rolled out an a la carte version of its cable TV service, offering consumers the option to purchase specific channel packages to go along with the basic model and all for one “fair” price. Then there’s HBO: Its new HBO NOW service provides access to all of the premium network’s content without subscribing to a cable package for the first time ever. Is now the time to switch cable packages or ditch it altogether?
Indiewire’s TV Editor Liz Shannon Miller and TV Critic Ben Travers dig into the issue on this week’s Very Good TV Podcast. You can listen to the episode above, dear readers, and don’t forget to subscribe via Soundcloud or iTunes. Follow Indiewire on Twitter and Facebook for all your pertinent TV news — including continued discussion on new opportunities for TV consumption — and check out Liz and Ben’s Twitter feeds for more, more, more. Lastly, please tell us how you watch TV in the comments section below or reach out to us via email or on social media.
Related Articles and News:
Read more about HBO NOW in Indiewire’s Filmmaker Toolkit Editor Paula Bernstein‘s report.
Check out “The Sopranos” reunion HBO hooked up to hock their new standalone service.
Oh, and John Oliver cracked a few jokes to promote it, too.
Can you be happy with the current state of television? Look for clues in Ben’s review of “Happyish.”
Liz argues for the merits of “Agents of SHIELD” and thus “The Avengers” and Marvel in general.
And let’s all take a moment to appreciate “The Comedians” (so Ben doesn’t feel so lonely).
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