Americans Still Watch TV, They're Just Watching Fewer Channels
New Nielsen ratings data shows that Americans are still watching about 4 hours of live TV a day. However they're actually only watching about 9.6% of the channels available on 'traditional' cable.
Alas, those folks are still paying for the other 90.4% of channels they don't care about because cable and satellite companies refuse to break up their precious, precious bundle. They may have to rethink that strategy given the number of consumers dumping cable for Over-the-Air TV and streaming services, making their own bundle at a much lower cost.
Two New Android Streaming Devices
The long-awaited Xiaomi Mi Box is now available in the US via its own site and Walmart. At $69 it seems like a great replacement for the now-mothballed Nexus Player and is a lower cost option than the beefy Nvidia Shield. Very much looking forward to testing this with Tablo!
If you'd prefer to use your phone as a remote instead, a new Chromecast was also announced this week with a November street date. This version includes an Ethernet port, and Google claims better WiFi connectivity results in 1.8 times faster video load times.
And One Old Apple Streamer Discontinued
This week Apple quietly discontinued the 3rd Generation Apple TV. While it still streams content from existing channels, it doesn't support many newer Apple services including the Apple TV app store making its appeal limited.
Perhaps this is in preparation for a new 5th generation Apple TV that would support 4K streaming services? Stay tuned.
Cable Ratings for Monday Night Football Down... But Booming on Sling TV
Ratings for Monday Night Football on ESPN have tanked this fall, and Extreamist says that's apparently because everyone's watching online via Sling TV.
Seems like sports fans are finally getting the message that they don't NEED cable to watch games live. Do you know any football fans who've cut the cord this year?
How To Watch Postseason Baseball
Cord cutting expert Chris Branter is back with a great guide on how to watch the MLB playoffs without cable. The good news is that between an Over-the-Air antenna and streaming services, all of the key playoff games are covered.
PODCAST - Demystifying TV Fool
While the TVFool.com website is a great resource for determining the availability, direction and distance of your local Over-the-Air TV signals, the reports it generates can be a bit confusing.
We do have an overview of how to understand your results here, but the good folks at Grounded Reason released a podcast episode this week that explains in-depth how to 'read' your results.
Whether you're just investigating OTA signals, trying to figure out why you just can't get a certain channel or considering a new antenna purchase, it's definitely worth a listen.
Comcast Rolling Out Nationwide 1TB Data Caps
A broadband internet connection is critical for cord cutters who want to supplement Over-the-Air HDTV with the plethora of streaming services available today. Unfortunately the cable guys are on to us and have started enforcing or implementing data caps on customers who previously enjoyed an all-you-can binge broadband buffet. Because: profits.
Comcast has set theirs at 1TB which should be OK for most users. However, as the popularity of 4K video expands, things could get more dicey. Thankfully, there are some great tips here for managing cord cutting even with a data cap.
Massive Luke Cage Binge-a-Thon = Netflix Outage
Engineers at Netflix had a rough weekend when the popularity of its newest original series Luke Cage maxed out servers in the US and the UK. While the service was eventually restored it did take a few hours.
One more reason why it's great to pair streaming services with an Over-the-Air antenna. There's always something to watch!
EXTENDED: Tablo Deal of the Week - 4-Tuner with FREE Hard Drive
The awesome Tablo 4-Tuner + 1TB drive bundle has been extended at Walmart.com!
If you or someone you know is thinking of cutting the cord on cable, make sure they know about this great deal that essentially gets you a FREE Tablo-compatible hard drive with purchase.
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Cord Cutting This Week. If you liked what you saw, please make sure to share this with your cord cutting friends and family and tell them to use the link below to subscribe.
