Comcast Excited To Have Lost 4,000 TV Subscribers This Spring

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You know things are looking grim when the best thing you can say about your TV subscriber base is that you "only lost 4,000." Then again, I guess Comcast actually does have a reason to celebrate considering that was the lowest springtime subscriber loss in over 10 years.

Why are they so psyched to have to record a loss? Well, it’s a heck of a lot better than the loss of 69,000 they had to report at the same time last year… or all the other springtime losses they’ve been reporting for a very, very long time. Comcast’s specific language about it, in their statement to investors, is that “video customers net losses improved to 4,000, the best second quarter result in over 10 years.”
 
They might not care (at least not as much) as long as they aren't losing broadband customers as well. If you're willing to wait a few months you can watch nearly any TV series you want via services like Netflix. The exceptions like GOT are not coincidentally atop the lists of "most pirated." Normal network TV is free via an antenna and that's the main source of live television viewing. It's not like missing out on a new episode of Chopped or Deadliest Catch matters as much as missing out on a live sporting event.
Comcast has a pretty robust online viewing platform so it's not like they don't see the writing on the wall.
 
Comcast/NBC can't die soon enough. They are unethical, Immoral, and just outright bad for our infrastructure.
 
Drawmonster said:
I haven't had cable/satellite in 8 years. Can't believe people still get raped by these companies and then ask for more.
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Sadly, I'm stuck with Comcast, at least for the foreseeable future. My building won't get Google Fiber; might get AT&T's Gigapower in 2017.

I'll be dumping Xfinity TV as soon as I get my Amazon Fire box, next month. Playstation Vue, here I come!!
 
Well as soon as google fiber drops in Nashville they will have to find a new way to spend 10s of thousands of people leaving. I hope google fiber comes to DFW next.
 
I would drop Comcast TV in an instant if I lived close enough to a big city so I could use an antennae, but I don't, so I am kind of stuck.
 
Constantly streaming "channels" with "time slots" are so last-century.
 
Drawmonster said:
I haven't had cable/satellite in 8 years. Can't believe people still get raped by these companies and then ask for more.
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Well, for most of us, if we want to have Internet, it makes no sense to cut out TV service.

Ever since people started cord cutting they've just restructured the deals such that it makes no sense to get standalone Internet service.

You know, something like:
- Cable + Internet: $120
- Standalone Internet: $118

That's why so many people still have TV. The cost savings just don't make it worth it at this point because of the shrewd restructuring of package discounts so they can still advertise what looks like competitive numbers, while losing almost nothing if people drop TV service.
 
Shmee said:
I would drop Comcast TV in an instant if I lived close enough to a big city so I could use an antennae, but I don't, so I am kind of stuck.
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How far out are you? If you want to get geeky about it you can get some pretty badass directional antennas that can help you get signal far outside the intended range. Get a few of them and aim them at different stations, and you can pick up some pretty decent channels even if you don't live that close to a city.

That being said, if you are REALLY far out, there is no helping you.

Personally I don't watch TV much at all. I do watch Comedy Central and the news just because we have it, but the only reason I keep TV around is because the Fiance wants it. When I was single I didn't have TV at all. That, and the savings just aren't worth it, per my post above.
 
The only reason they didnt lose more is because they offer package deals for tv and internet that are cheaper than just internet... Keeps those TV numbers artificially inflated even though the users arent watching tv.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Well, for most of us, if we want to have Internet, it makes no sense to cut out TV service.

Ever since people started cord cutting they've just restructured the deals such that it makes no sense to get standalone Internet service.

You know, something like:
- Cable + Internet: $120
- Standalone Internet: $118

That's why so many people still have TV. The cost savings just don't make it worth it at this point because of the shrewd restructuring of package discounts so they can still advertise what looks like competitive numbers, while losing almost nothing if people drop TV service.
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Most definitely. I was able to add every single channel (except PPV and the like) for something like $25 when bundling it with my internet. It's stupid NOT to do it.
 
And a few days ago, investors were pissed at Netflix for adding ONLY 1,400,000 new subscribers in the same period.
 
Lith1um said:
They might lose me in the near future.
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"Ohhhh, nooooo, that's just toooooo bad. We're going to have to raise your internet package cost from $30 to $80 since its not in a bundle. What a bummer. You could always just shop a competitor though... oh, whats that, we're the only cable provider in town other than DSL? Oooh, that's such a shame." - Comcast, probably

*Comcast guy rubs nipples in ecstacy*
 
I wonder how many of the people they are counting don't even use the TV service. Like for example, we have Comcast Business as an ISP, but AT&T U-Verse for TV. If you hook the cable from Comcast Business into a TV, you get like 60 basic channels which come for free with the Comcast Business service. I wouldn't be surprised if they counted people like me as a "TV Subscriber".
 
GotNoRice said:
I wonder how many of the people they are counting don't even use the TV service. Like for example, we have Comcast Business as an ISP, but AT&T U-Verse for TV. If you hook the cable from Comcast Business into a TV, you get like 60 basic channels which come for free with the Comcast Business service. I wouldn't be surprised if they counted people like me as a "TV Subscriber".
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I have a comcast x1 box sitting in my living room. It is literally cheaper for me to bundle cable and internet, and get HBO Go from it, then it is to buy internet and HBO GO separately. They have been making up lost money by increasing the cost of internet. Unfortunately there is no actual competition for internet here. So you either get Comcast or DSL. At a minimum I need cable internet for my lifestyle.

On the other hand. Comcast wants to charge me an $11 fee for HD programming on my cable. So what I get right now is a 1080p HD video feed, cut down to a 4:3 image. And they want me to pay them $11 a month for them to not cut the sides off what they are sending me.

So now I have an HD Stacker antenna in my attic, cost $200 total and runs through the 2 xbox ones i use on my tv's. And i get a better picture than comcast that will pay for itself in under 2 years. So I get my local sports for free over the air.

If I find a better internet option, I'm dropping Comcast like a bag of bricks.
 
Ducman69 said:
"Ohhhh, nooooo, that's just toooooo bad. We're going to have to raise your internet package cost from $30 to $80 since its not in a bundle. What a bummer. You could always just shop a competitor though... oh, whats that, we're the only cable provider in town other than DSL? Oooh, that's such a shame." - Comcast, probably

*Comcast guy rubs nipples in ecstacy*
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They're going to lose me shortly. I have never had cable other than when I moved into my old house someone had rigged the cable through a splitter with my neighbors coaxial. I got all of his channels for free. Since I started having internet with them I've been on some sort of yearly promotion. The most recent one was a bundle of basic cable and my same internet for $15 less than I was going to pay for internet alone. I told the lady I didn't want cable and to please not send me the cabel box as I don't want to have to go through the process of a documented return. Sure enough, the stupid thing showed up in the mail. The promotion I'm on will expire coming 8/12. At that point in time I will call them the same as I do every year and say that it is getting too expensive and I'm going to have to cancel my service. They send me to retention and they offer a new yearly promotion. The only annoying thing about the process is I have to call them once a year and mess with it. I've done this for about 7-8 years now. I know different markets vary, but this has been very consistent for me.

I am looking forward to Google Fiber coming to our city. We are one of the rollout cities that should start infrastructure development soon. I will be one of the first to hop onboard and completely rid myself of having to deal with Comcast's promotions and cable.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
How far out are you? If you want to get geeky about it you can get some pretty badass directional antennas that can help you get signal far outside the intended range. Get a few of them and aim them at different stations, and you can pick up some pretty decent channels even if you don't live that close to a city.

That being said, if you are REALLY far out, there is no helping you.

Personally I don't watch TV much at all. I do watch Comedy Central and the news just because we have it, but the only reason I keep TV around is because the Fiance wants it. When I was single I didn't have TV at all. That, and the savings just aren't worth it, per my post above.
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We are pretty far out. We a very far north of Seattle, and the nearest local repeater is in Everett. Geekier friends than I have tried all sorts of things, but to no avail. We can get Vancouver BC stations, but that doesn't help me watch the Seahawks.
 
Shmee said:
We are pretty far out. We a very far north of Seattle, and the nearest local repeater is in Everett. Geekier friends than I have tried all sorts of things, but to no avail. We can get Vancouver BC stations, but that doesn't help me watch the Seahawks.
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Ahh. Well, the only sports I watch is Baseball, and their games are not broadcast on open air TV. Only on NESN, which you need Cable/Satellite/Whatever for, which is a huge bummer.
 
Shmee said:
I would drop Comcast TV in an instant if I lived close enough to a big city so I could use an antennae, but I don't, so I am kind of stuck.
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Same here. I'm in the middle of multiple cities, but I'm on the wrong side of a large hill. I get zero TV reception over an antenna, even if I put a 20 foot pole on top of my 2nd story.
My only choice is Cable (COX) or Satellite TV. Now if I was at the other end of my street, or 2 streets up the hill, I could at least get some channels.

As for internet, I'm basically stuck with COX.
I can't even get DSL any more at my house. Used to be I could get 3mb DSL (speed limited since I live at the end of a long street), but it's no longer offered.
 
Technically, I probably still count as a cable subscriber because I am forced to have Comcast internet, and with that comes the most basic of basic cable (not even fucking HD!) because without the bundle, for some reason, the internet cost skyrockets.

Never even use the TV functionality.
 
Skripka said:
Bandwidth allowance caps. TWC doesn't have them, we'll see how long that remains when they fully become Charter.
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Maybe I'm not familiar with torguards services. I thought they were just a normal VPN? How does using a VPN significantly impact bandwidth?
 
Skripka said:
Bandwidth allowance caps. TWC doesn't have them, we'll see how long that remains when they fully become Charter.
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You don't have to "see" as the terms are transparent.

New Charter will not be permitted to charge usage-based prices or impose data caps.

All of the conditions will last for seven years.
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This is why Comcast is turning on bandwidth caps, they want a piece of that streaming hot pie.
 
Lith1um said:
They might lose me in the near future. I watch maybe 6 channels. Mosly classic movies and TV shows. For what I'm paying Comcast I could own a library of entire tv series and any movie I want

Comcast, there is a point where you break the camel's back.
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If I could just get decently priced standalone internet I'd cut out TV.

The way they bundle it though,i d barely save anything at all by cutting out the TV :(
 
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