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-   -   Just FYI... (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/just-fyi-358425/)

jrref 04-30-2025 08:08 AM

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.

retiredguy123 04-30-2025 08:14 AM

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.

Bill14564 04-30-2025 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrref (Post 2428418)
...

BTW, Rouku 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.

...

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?

retiredguy123 04-30-2025 08:21 AM

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

Bill14564 04-30-2025 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2428422)
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.

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?

retiredguy123 04-30-2025 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2428428)
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.

jrref 04-30-2025 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2428427)
Roku has a lot of free content, including some local recorded content. But, it doesn't have the live local channels.

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.

jrref 04-30-2025 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2428429)
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.



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

jrref 04-30-2025 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2428428)
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 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.

retiredguy123 04-30-2025 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrref (Post 2428434)
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

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.

jrref 04-30-2025 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2428441)
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.

OrangeBlossomBaby 04-30-2025 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2428428)
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?

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.

OrangeBlossomBaby 04-30-2025 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrref (Post 2428439)
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.

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.

rsmurano 05-01-2025 05:09 AM

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.

Moderator 05-01-2025 10:06 AM

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.


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