Did your cable bill go up recently?
 

Did your cable bill go up recently, if so, are you doing anything about it?
Xfinity and Spectrum had increases as of January.

Yes, but Xfinity told me about it in advance. Am I doing anything about it? No.

YoutubeTV also increased in price.

People still have cable?

Cable
 

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have cable. With an average age of 69, younger people seem to be the ones who stream.

I still have cable, but I would be glad to switch to streaming if there was a good reason to do so. Every time I do the math, the cost savings is minimal (about 10 percent less), and the cable service is better than streaming. With YoutubeTV, I would lose the Lifetime channels, which we watch a lot, and the History channeI. I also get a great deal on my cell phone service, that is only $21 per month.

Did you look at SlingTV? They have the lifetime channels. YouTubeTV is very popular here in the Villages but there are other streaming services available.

LMN and History are both available on HuluLive. (NFL Sunday Ticket is not which is why I have YTTV). You might also get a better DVR capability if you make use of that.

Even if you drop cable channels you will still need an internet provider which might also get you the great deal on your cell phone.

But comfort and inertia matter. If you are comfortable with what you have and any additional cost is worth it to you to not have to learn a new system then it makes sense to stick with what you have.

You are right. I forgot about HuluLive. That's also a very good streaming service.

I know several Villagers who were "comfortable" with cable but after a while the price kept going up and it was enough to get them to switch and stream. The change can be stressful at first but eventually these streaming services interfaces are not that much different than what the cable companies are offering making the transition easier. I also know many that don't want to switch their phones so they couldn't get the cheaper price with that bundle.

It can be a tough decision. I had one person who was tired of the slow and varying internet service from Xfinity which caused them to change.

I guess everyone has their own unique situation.

Haven’t had cable for more than 7 years. Maybe large percentage of posters are the same. So good reason for not many responses

I currently have Sling (just the blue side) for three months on a $38 per month deal. Got it initially to catch some college football playoff games and Fox News. It will carry me through NCAA March Madness. Then I will probably cancel it. Just don't watch it enough. But that is one advantage of streaming packages over cable/satellite. Easier to turn on/turn off, and you can watch from anywhere with your user ID/Password. Same with other streaming platforms I have (Netflix, Britbox, Amazon Prime, ESPN+ etc.). I stream with Quantum, I got in on their $35 for life deal. So far, so good. And it's also month to month so if it becomes not good, I can quickly dump it.

I also put up an antenna that allows me to get all of the networks and several other stations out of Orlando. All told, about 60 channels, with about 30 that have anything you really care to watch. But after the initial investment of $150 for antenna/booster, it's free. Can't beat that.

A final tip - if you have specific platforms you like/want to try, many offer Black Friday deals around Thanksgiving. I picked up Paramount+ and Peacock on an annual subscription for a few dollars each month. Not much there that I watch, but for the price, it was worth it. If I can't get a similar deal when it expires, I'll dump it. Just make sure to mark your calendar so it doesn't autorenew!

Congrats on getting the Quantum $35 deal. I was telling so many about this and they weren't interested then when it ended, they missed it. Maybe they will do it again next year?

Comcast internet did and after+ 1 hour I got it reduced. Terrible to deal with.

Same at our house. Did it go up, YES, doesn't it always ! ? Are we doing anything about it ? No, just as Xfinity hoped ! Tired of playing all the musical chair games; limited offers, specials, etc. etc. with all the providers. Constantly changing, getting used to a new format, or equipment, or wiring.

We don't have cable. The lady across the street just installed Dish. Several neighbors have cut the cord here on the historic side.

YouTube TV went up, and Hulu+ was less expensive for the first time, and offered more. I called YouTube and complained, they knocked the price back down to what I've been paying all along. Took ten minutes.

I'll do the same with Xfinity internet in March when it's time for them to raise my prices again. Once a year, I call the providers and complain. I do the same with phone service at AT&T.

Total inconvenience to me is around 2 hours per year. I'm okay with that.

Totally agree, even our adult children in others states have grown weary of the various streaming options and returned to the cable option in their various locations. As the old saying goes, what's new becomes old, and what's old eventually becomes new. Wonder if people will begin to question why they send all their personal documents and pictures to "the cloud" one day, and begin to think the "old days" when you preserved your personal items yourself on the options of your choice like the "old fashioned" thumb drives, or on DVD's, etc.

Good for you! But the reduction on the YouTubeTV will only be for 6 months. They are giving this grace period to everyone complaining. Then it goes back to the regular rate.

Be careful with Dish. Many people don't realize that you buy the dish and it's yours. You can't return it if you ever cancel. Also, the early termination fee if you decide to cancel before the agreed upon term is clost to $500 and there is no way out.

I don't know anyone with cable in my Village and I socialize with plenty of people in my area.

We're south of the turnpike so much younger average age than 69, probably closer to 58 average.

I personally prefer streaming and not paying an arm and a leg for TV that I barely watch.

And then, in six months, I'll re-visit the situation. If I can get it cheaper on Hulu+, then I'll call YouTube again and have the conversation again. If they can't help me, I'll switch to Hulu+. Not a big deal.

Not my problem. I won't ever get Dish. Zero interest in it.

I don’t think anybody has regular cable anymore with cable boxes where they use a remote to change channels. People have cable boxes but it’s a streaming box and user interface like YouTube. I see a lot of younger people using cable internet instead of fiber internet when it’s available for some crazy reason.

About a year ago we finally had it with the cable bill price increases and made the leap into the streaming world. Once we toppled the learning curve, we can’t believe we didn’t cut the cord sooner. No looking back.

Same - I think one older neighbor has cable, everyone else I know here in The Villages has some variation of streaming services.

There is a website, suppose.tv which will help you quantify your options. You enter you location/zip code, then check off the channels you are interested, and it will then tell you where they are available. You can specify which channels are deal breakers and those which are optional.

You can do what ifs, like if I add service x, what will it do to my total cost and what will be the benefit.

My Spectrum internet just went from $65 to $80. Took me by surprise.

Spent an hour+ on the phone with Xfinity where they raised my internet from $85 to $110. After much high blood pressure work I finally got help from a nice fellow and ended up paying $70. a month. Whew, until next year farewell.

I’m a “younger people” at 72? I’ve been streaming for about 5 years.

My DirectTV bill has increased multiple times, without warning over the past 4 years, so I replaced it with SuperBox. You can buy SuperBox online from Amazon or other internet providers for under $200. Now I have access to over 1,700 channels at NO COST!!! My monthly bills have gone away and I access via internet, all of the TV Networks, News, Sports, Movie, Weather and other channels, plus thousands of movies via Video on Demand . . . for FREE!!! Thanks to SuperBox, I'm done with Cable & Satellite providers and their Monthly Bills.

I never discuss my bill with Xfinity on the phone. I go online and make an appointment to meet with a live person at one of their 2 stores.

What antenna do you use?

I helped a couple make the switch from Xfinity to Quantum Fiber and Youtube. To my surprise although they had several Xfinity cable boxes, the interface they were using was very similar to the user interface on YouTube. The learning curve in their case was partially learning and getting familiar with the differences but also getting over the "fear" of using YouTube TV. Over time the cable companies have been transitioning to what I call a streaming user interface in order to compete.

I feel steaming is beneficial for those who want to only pay for the content they want to watch. With the ability to easily subscribe and unsubscribe to services as they please.

The cable companies are "taking a beating" becasue of the cord cutters and have to resort to bundling their services with phone and other things. Unfortunately, not all areas have a choice for internet so many have to deal with what they have available. The good news is we have seen some of the fiber companies such as Quantum expanding into other areas such as Bonita Villas so there is some hope that most Villagers will have more of a choice to subscribe to a company that better fits their needs.

No cable. Streaming. Total streaming with YouTube, internet with Comcast and Netflix…..about $150. No problem deciding what to do.

When looking at internet providers here in the Villages, in most cases for us Villagers, cost seems to be the biggest driver when selecting a provider since very few are running a business or working from home.

This is not an advertisement but an awareness post. What's interesting is the cable companies are not providing their new advanced technology here in the Villages. While Verizon, ATT and T-Mobile Are providing new wireless services and now Quantum Fiber is offering their newest technologies "Lumen is using XGS-PON technology, a passive optical network to provide the symmetric multi-gig capabilities." You can read about it here. Attention Required! | Cloudflare Areas around Dunedin and north to Bonita Villas and other areas have this new fiber technology. Area's south down to Osceola Hills are scheduled to get this new technology in 2025.

Although us Villagers don't need these high speeds now, it will be interesting to see what the future holds, there are businesses here in the Villages that do. It's also "good to know" that the wireless carriers, and Quantum and Centric fiber companies are still investing in the internet infrastructure here in the Villages, whether we need it or not. While the cable companies are doing nothing except trying to bundle services with stuff we don't want and are trying to become a Phone company.

Interesting. I think we are very lucky to have these wireless and fiber serivices available for most of us here in the Villages.

I’m 71 and I only stream, that statement is ludicrous. My internet bill is 55.00 a month 4 tv’s 3 Alexa device security cameras and a wireless printer. Cable is for people who like to throw money away.

That's about what you should be paying for internet these days here in the Villages. Good for you!

Same with people that are paying for a landline phone.

For the first time in 10 years, I seem to have gone over my allotted data. I tried to call to find out why and how I could avoid this. Absolutely maddening trying to get a person to talk to and then one that is knowledgeable. I finally hung up.

How do you only pay $55?

How did you do that? I couldn't get past the one I had. I kept asking to speak to someone else and I finally just hung up.