With the rise of internet TV services getting original programming and the rise of cord cutters, how much longer do you think cable and satellite have to live?

I've been working for 24 hour local news channels since I graduated college in '02. I'm hoping they last a lot longer so I can remain employed. :)

I think there will always be some sort of cable or satellite service just like there's still radio stations.

^ I'll proudly ditto this!

As long as high-speed internet is monopolized in many areas by cable companies you can bet there will still be cable TV. If you chose to stream everything and there is a data cap and overage charges, you may as well pay the cable bill.

I was planning to cut the cord but my local rural area has no high-speed alternative - not even fast DSL so I'm stuck with cable.

I think some people are used to cable and satellite tv the way it was and I dont see anything wrong with it. I know everything is cut the cord and on the internet but I think some people like the way it was in the older days where you watched tv and not on the internet. I think people are used to that. I know I am so it would be tough to change.

I think some people are used to cable and satellite tv the way it was and I dont see anything wrong with it. I know everything is cut the cord and on the internet but I think some people like the way it was in the older days where you watched tv and not on the internet. I think people are used to that. I know I am so it would be tough to change.

Totally agree.

I think some people are used to cable and satellite tv the way it was and I dont see anything wrong with it. I know everything is cut the cord and on the internet but I think some people like the way it was in the older days where you watched tv and not on the internet. I think people are used to that. I know I am so it would be tough to change.
Amen to that!

Cutting the cord would be more cost effective for me but there are certain shows I like that are not accessible via Internet streaming. And I'm one of the rare ones who don't buy series on DVD's, or binge watch. Sometimes I just like simply watching a show on TV.

I agree. Sometimes I like to watch a show on TV although there are many channels I don't watch.

Don't see the appeal of Satellite TV since

1. they don't offer digital channels

2. They service goes out during a snowstorm or Thunderstorm

Quite a long time IMO. It's still something most people like to have from the barely legal to seniors.

Cable will always be around because you can't watch Live sports on Netflix

Cable will always be around because you can't watch Live sports on Netflix

But they do have MLB.tv, NHL Gamecenter, and other live streaming options.

Like someone said above, it will remain the same way radio stations do. I'll add newspapers to that list as well, mainly because there will always be an older generation unfamiliar with the new technology.

Even though the majority has moved on, you can't forget about the (great-)grandparents completely. Remember the fustercluck that was the DTV changeover, c. 2008-09? :p

Up here, the 3 major cable companies (Bell, Rogers, and Shaw) have introduced this week --- and very reluctantly under great protest, I might add--- the concept of "Skinny Basic" cable which will cost no more than $25 and will be augmented by a pick and pay system where customers can choose different channels that they want, and can dump the ones they don't, through either an a la carte method or as part of a bundle. By December both options have to be offered.


This may not mark the end of cable as we know it in Canada, but it might lead to fewer cord-cutters and streamers, but only if the new packages are affordable and are worth the money and effort to pay for them. Right now, from what I've read and seen, that does not appear to be the case.