Just FYI...
 

Just, FYI, if you have been watching the financial news Xfinity and Spectrum and other cable companies are loosing customers way beyond initial expectations due to "cord cutters", changes in viewing habits, and people switching to Fiber and fixed Wireless internet services. Comcast (Xfinity) is looking at spinning off their TV and Internet business because of the steep decline. In fact, the FCC recently granted more spectrum to Verizon, AT&T and other carriers to expand their fixed wireless services.

We won't know what will happen and how soon any of this will impact customer's here in the Villages but keep a check on you cable bills because several people I recently signed up for Quantum Fiber have said their cable bill went up significantly and the re-negotiated "deal" was not very good. Most have moved their cell phones from cable to Visible, Consumer Cellular and other cell phone companies to get a better long term price that doesn't change and also dumped their cable and started using Roku or another streaming device to stream and moved to Quantum Fiber if they could get it. I spoke to a Quantum installer yesterday and he said they are all working overtime because of all the new orders. BTW, Roku TV which comes free with the device has a lot of channels including local TV which may be enough for most people vs getting YouTube or Hulu TV.

The point of this post is to be aware and keep an eye on your cable bill because they have been rasing their rates yet again becasue they are in trouble financially. Even if you "have a deal" for a specific amount of time, they can still raise fees and other parts of the bill while maintaining the cost of the service they comitted to you.

Interesting.

I would just point out that Xfinity customers can access the Xfinity stream app that doesn't require cable TV service. All of the channels with no cord.

Just for clarification, are you saying that the $30 Roku TV stick comes with free, live, local network TV stations including Fox, ABC, NBC, and CBS?

Roku has a lot of free content, including some local recorded content. But, it doesn't have the live local channels.

The details for that might matter.

If I became a customer for Xfinity internet only, could I then use the stream app to watch all the "cable" channels without paying for Xfinity cable TV service?

I don't know, but my point is that Xfinity has the capability to compete with YouTubeTV or other streaming services any time they want.

I believe you can get some local news and other channels with Roku TV and it keeps getting better from what I've been reading. You can easily get local channels for sure with the Roku or any other streamer with Tubi and other free services.

The point is, if you are considering streaming, you don't necessarily need YouTube TV for example which gives you everything in one place. The combination of Roku TV, Tubi and other free services may be enough. AND if you have Amazon Prime, there are a lot of live TV channels there as well.

Apparently, they are not able to compete with YouTubeTV and other streaming services.

Here are some links to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YReglaus40M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv8vJE58tQk&t=401s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59EssPFRJgQ&t=529s

I think you have to subscribe to their TV service to get that streaming channel. I recently converted somebody to Quantum from Xfinity and when they canceled the TV service that app went away.

They are not trying to compete. But all they would need to do is to add the missing channels that people want to their Xfinity Stream app, and sell it as a separate streaming service.

Got it, but that's not their business model, at least currently.

Streaming services like YouTube TV for example, only need to worry about the cost of content and servers providing content over the internet and their customer service. Cable companies have these costs plus the all the outside cable infrastructure to your home and maintence. I can tell you after working for Verizon, this cost is huge and the revenue from internet services no where near comes close to covering that cost.

No.

The Flex TV is their free streaming option for wifi-only customers. You get all the same FREE channels that you get with an Amazon, Google, or Roku stick. If you want any services that you'd normally have to pay extra for, you still have to pay extra for it.

YouTubeTV comes with MUCH more than the usual free stuff, including the Weather Channel, the Golf Channel, and live local TV. Hulu+TV comes with all that, PLUS all the exclusive Hulu stuff. Amazon Prime Video doesn't come with any TV services, but does come with hundreds of movies plus Amazon-exclusive content. If you want Netflix, you have to pay for Netflix unless your cellular service provider has a special deal. Paramount Plus is another subscription service that you won't get by cutting the cord, unless you pay extra.

You have to figure out some things for yourself:

1) how much TV do you watch in a day? A week?
2) how many different channels do you watch in a month?
2a) which channels are they?
3) what kinds of shows do you prefer to watch? Live, pre-recorded, on-demand, movies, sports, news, politics?

Figure out all that stuff and then decide which of the options will serve you best. If you only watch the news when you're waiting for your favorite show to come on, maybe don't prioritize an option that's news-heavy. If you hate sports, then you don't need to subscribe to a service that advertises 3 channels dedicated to the NFL and 4 dedicated to Golf. If you're a movie lover and don't care if they're old re-runs or not, you could probably get away with just sticking with a Roku, Google, or Amazon stick, or the Flex service you get with Xfinity Wi-fi.

Quantum isn't a TV service. It's an internet service. You don't switch FROM TV TO Internet. You switch from TV & Internet to Internet-only, OR from TV&Internet to a different TV&Internet.

They cancelled their Xfinity and replaced it with Quantum. So they no longer were entitled to the Flex streaming service, which is ONLY for Xfinity internet customers.

When companies start losing customers that’s when they start making deals, it’s not the other way around. All of these cable/internet/netflix/amazon subscribers never want their quarterly report to state they lost customers or their stock will go down. I’m paying $40 a month for 1.2Gbps speed where xfinity wanted $150 when I was their customer at renewal time. Spectrum offers that same price today if you move your phones to their mobile plan. There are deals out there.

As for good tv, nothing good is free. Roku is just a device that gives you crap tv stations just like any other device like Apple TV 4K (preferred over Roku), firestick, chromecast, and other devices. You will pay for good tv channels and sometimes you can pay more than what cable tv costs because you are buying several packages instead of 1 service.

IPTV has been out for years. You can get thousands of channels but you better have vpn or you could get caught.

I have always made deals with vendors in this area for decades, they don’t want to lose you as a customer.

We have confirmed the OP is a retired Villager who as a former technical specialist, enjoys assisting residents with their home internet connections and those seeking alternative internet service providers at no charge as a hobby.

Any direct information indicating otherwise can be submitted to the staff.

Normally, I would agree with you but from what's being reported, It appears the cable companies don't want to operate at a loss. So, giving people a "deal" that is below their cost, although it retains the customer, doesen't help their bottom line. Those days may be coming to an end. As you stated, they use their cell phone business to get you to be a customer because that's a part where they can make money. They give you a discount on the internet service for a year or so to get you as a customer since they know you can easily get the same cell phone service at many providers for the same price with a better plan.

As far as Roku TV being "junk" TV, the point is it may be "junk" to you but many Villagers only watch a small segment of TV and may not care about commercials so they don't necessarily need to pay the price for YouTubeTV or Hulu or others. When switching to streaming it's alway best to write down the TV channels you watch all the time then check to see how many RokuTV and or other providers have for free vs just getting a "full service" TV package. Amazon Fire TV is also popular and good.

When you are talking about internet service, just remember cable internet is fine for most people here in the Villages expecially if that's all you can get. Where it gets "dicey" is when you have to "play" around with them every year to get a fair price. Not everyone here in the Villages has the ability and or courage to negotiate with them and end up just paying full price. If you can get Fiber, it's something you probably want to do especially if you are what I call a network "geek" because cable internet is not the same as fiber because of the technology.

Hope this puts things more into perspective.

Far from a technonerd. I am sure there are rooms of technonerds. Probably with padded walls. The watch ME. HUM, he has it working TIME TO CHANGE.

Any time anyone discusses the seedy side of IPTV, you do NOT agree with them. So "normally I agree with you" is just flat out untrue.

I also make deals with my vendor. This year I caught them between promotions and a month after my old deal expired, so they wouldn't let me keep my old plan at the same price. However, instead of charging me another $30/month for my old plan on top of the $50 I was already paying, they gave me a new plan, twice the speed, for $3/month more. I don't need twice the speed, and my modem doesn't even go that high anyway. But they did make accommodations for me and even waived the $30 for that month, which was already underway when I called them.

I also got YouTubeTV to honor the old price for 6 months, even though they raised their prices. They also are on notice that if Hulu+TV doesn't raise -their- prices, when my 6 months are up, I'll be switching to Hulu+TV since I'll get more for less, at that point.

I'm happy to pay for copyrighted material. The people who produce these shows, the actors, the lighting folks, script-writers, the set designers, make-up artists, and everyone else - they all deserve to get paid. You might be fine promoting a service that allows people to bypass all that. But that doesn't make it ethical and in some cases, the end result is illegal.

There is also Haystack News app and if you have a Google TV you have free Google TV Freeplay app.
Why would anyone pay $83 / month for junk streaming services? :)

plus outside antenna gets you plenty of local stations, who needs cable?? haven't used in over 5 years.. Fire stick and antenna gets it done

No. The app only allows you to access the channels you pay for with a normal cable package.

With the app, you don't need a cable box on each TV, just install the app on your TV or streaming device. You'll have to login, it checks your account and you get the channels you are paying for. (Still WAY too much money!)

You misunderstood my response, to be clearer, I would normally agree to this statement that was made "When companies start losing customers that’s when they start making deals, it’s not the other way around." I'm glad you are so perficient in negotiating with your providers and I hope that model lasts for a while. It may not, we just don't know.

As far as IPTV is concerned, we will have to wait and see what happens with these services in the future. You are right I've been going back and forth on this type of service but for now i'm going to sit on the sidelines and see what actually happens.

My initial post was to focus on cable companies seeing more cord cutting than they anticipated and why, which is causing some companies to re-organize their business and possibly the cableTV model going away sooner than originally forcast.

A friend of mine told me when he signed up for Xfinity, which at the time was all that was available in his village, since he had 5 TVs, putting cable boxes on all five got too expensive so they only installed cable boxes on two of the main TVs and Roku streamers on the rest using that Xfinity app. It worked for them. Even with that, the bill got too expensive after the initial offer so he switched 100% streaming with YouTubeTV since his wife needed all the channels and they have been happy with a bill less than half of what they were paying.

Right, that was another point I was trying to make. If you are "streamer savy" you may be able to find everything you want to watch across multiple apps vs paying for one app that has all the channels. What we are now seeing is services like YouTubeTV, Hulu and others along with Netflix, Paramont and Prime getting bloated and costing as much as cable TV after you subscribe to all these services. The only advantage is you can subscribe, watch the series you want then unsubscribe with streaming which many are doing.

Have you really done a cost comparison between Xfinity and YouTubeTV? I'm cheap, but every time I compare the two options, I stay with Xfinity. The contract discounts, bundling discounts, cell phone service, the landline phone option, and the cable box built-in apps, etc. make Xfinity very close in price to the YouTubeTV streaming option. Note that YouTubeTV is now more than $90 per month, just for the ability to stream the channels. And, YouTubeTV still does not offer the Lifetime channels, which I watch often. Also, Xfinity allows you to pay for Netflix on your Xfinity bill, thereby avoiding autopay, which I do not like.

Comparing Xfinity to TVyoutube is like comparing apples to oranges.
The options and the interface for Xfinity is far superior to TVYoutube. The voice remote is probably worth the difference in price alone. Also the navigation to other Apps is very impressive.
I don't know why their ad department doesn't do a better job of advertising their strengths.
These include
If you value a unified, polished interface with a great voice remote and built-in apps, Xfinity’s X1 box is stronger than the standard YouTube TV setup. YouTube TV relies more on your device’s capabilities and Google ecosystem.
Also:
1. Voice Remote
Xfinity’s X1 Voice Remote is a major strength:
Lets you search channels, apps, and on-demand content by speaking.
Works well with queries like “What’s on tonight?” or “Show me action movies.”
Can control smart home features (if integrated).
2. X1 Interface & App Integration
Xfinity’s X1 platform is polished and user-friendly.
Seamless integration with popular streaming apps like:
Netflix
YouTube
Prime Video
Peacock (free for many Xfinity customers)
Hulu, Disney+, and more
You can browse live TV and apps from one screen—no need to switch devices or inputs.
3. Personalized Recommendations
Offers personalized suggestions across live TV, DVR, and streaming apps—similar to smart TV platforms.
4. Sports Experience
Xfinity’s sports interface includes features like:
Live game stats
Score tracking
Easy switching between games (especially useful for NFL/NBA fans).

Source ChatGPT

You should have led with that; I could have skipped the unreliable information. Give me your personal opinion and I might consider it but there is no value at all in a pattern-matching tool’s attempt at a convincing argument.

I don't need a voice remote to operate YouTubeTV. My Google Pixel phone IS my voice remote. I say "hey Google, turn on CSpan2 in the Living Room" and as long as the TV is powered on, it'll change the channel to CSpan2. Having a Smart TV means you can do stuff like that. No separate remote required, as long as you have the app on your phone.

But you're right - the two aren't comparable. YouTubeTV isn't an internet provider. Xfinity is. You have to have internet service FIRST - before you can watch anything using YouTubeTV.

I have to say you are right, that Xfinity Voice Remote for "older" folks, from my interactions with people here in the Villages is what keeps them with Xfinity no matter how much it costs. They have to have it.

For others who are more familiar with smart TVs, streaming sticks and smart phones, they tend not to care about the Xfinity Voice Remote.

Interesting.

It is my opinion which I have expressed before. I explained that for some more senior folks such as my Dad and step mom, Xfinity is perfect for them since it so much more advanced and the interface is far more user friendly. I was extremely impressed with it but not enough to pay the substantial difference in costs. Also YouTube TV is great for mobile devices.

As far as ChatGPT, I think you are way off base. It is a phenonemal resource that can do hours of manual research in seconds. For the most part it will retrieve material on other websites verbatim and then provide the links if requested. Nobody or no AI resource is perfect but the synergy of human intelligence and AI is a huge leap forward in capabilities.

But if you want prove your point, then let me know if any of the information is wrong in my post. I strive to keep an open mind.

Internet and cable
 

I wish I understood all of this. We’re streaming but still have to pay for internet which just keeps going up. Can’t find any deals on that.