Cable television has been around for eons, pleasing generations of Americans with high-quality content. It has enjoyed traditional importance that can’t be overruled. However, now, its long-held title of the best medium of entertainment delivery seems to be in danger. The credit goes to streaming services. Streaming services are not only ridiculously affordable but also extremely diverse. They don’t require special equipment with monthly rental and are flexible enough to play content across a multitude of devices, enabling you to stream your favorite episode on the go. Cable TV doesn’t offer this kind of convenience, and the increasing rate of cable service on top is making more and more people shift towards the streaming side. According to Statista, a significant majority of consumers have a streaming TV subscription of some sort today. Yet, despite its $100 a month bill, traditional pay-TV is not completely out of the equation. More than 90 million U.S. subscribers have a cable TV connection in their homes. Why is that? Why do people still cling to cable? And why would they continue to pay for it? Let’s find out below.
Cable Bundles
A new survey by Deloitte stated that American consumers keep their cable TV subscriptions because they get a chance to save more by investing in bundles. Cable providers offer enticing two-service and three-service bundles to their customers, usually in the form of internet-TV-phone, internet-TV, internet-phone, and TV-phone, etc. When you pair the services together, the individual price for each dials down remarkably. For instance, if you get Cox cable deals, you’ll see that the overall bill of your cable TV, internet, and/or phone bundle comes out to be fairer than that of standalone TV plans. It’s like enjoying the best of three worlds in one single package.
Besides, if you cut the cord, abandon pay-TV and switch to streaming services, you might have to pay for more high-speed internet to stream content without buffering. The average price for a mid-level internet speed plan rests at $60 per month. Whereas, if you bundle internet and television, you can get the same speed for $80 per month, alongside hundreds of cable TV channels and even international lineups. That is why people pay for cable because they get so much more in return.
Live Broadcast Content
Whether it’s sports or news, some people like to stay on top of the latest developments in their fields of interest. Cable TV relays this information and entertainment without the slightest delay through live broadcasts. All you have to do is tune in at the right time and you can see the Olympics as they unfold on your TV screen. You may be able to stream the games online too, but you might have to wait a bit for the networks to upload them on their chosen platforms. Viewers who don’t like to hang around for spoilers tend to stick to the good, old cable transmission.
DVR Capability
For people who are constantly tied up with chores and are busy beyond belief, cable TV comes as a blessing in disguise. Most of cable service providers deliver DVR capabilities to their customers as an essential part of the TV package. DVR stands for ‘Digital Video Recorder’ and is an advanced technology that enables you to record your favorite shows while they are being broadcasted and then watch them later at your ease. DVR equipment of today can withstand up to 700 hours of recording. They also come with extra storage should you want one. This is something that you might not get with streaming services.
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Outage
Streaming services may have a better interface, functionality, and exclusive content library, but they rely on the power of your internet connection to work. Anything can jam your network speed – a raging storm, hardware dilapidation, data caps, and intensive shared usage, etc. There can also be an outage in your area, depriving you of streaming TV online and catching up with live games. This is where cable offers stability. It does not suffer from the regular outage and keeps you showing what you love in its scheduled programming.
Wrapping Up
So, why should anyone pay for cable? Because cable TV is cost-effective when bundled, relays live broadcast content, allows you to record shows as many times as you like, and offer a stable stream of entertainment.
