The Anti-Cable TV Rebellion

There's a rebellion going on. After years of talking about it, people are giving up on TV -- or at least "TV in the conventional sense." It seems like every week or two I run across another person who has cancelled their cable or satellite TV service because the monthly rates are brutally high. Most of these people have simply switched to the internet.

- They get their news online as MSN.com, nytimes.com, bloomberg.com and hundreds of other sources.

- They get their movies -- and a lot more -- from a Netflix streaming account for under ten bucks a month.

- They get their TV shows from Huluplus for under ten bucks a month.

- They find clever ways to watch sporting events on line.

- And they can do most, if not all, of this from their living room TVs with a Roku streamer or an Apple TV.

My wife and I just spent two months away from our primary home, with just a 27" monitor/TV, a Roku streaming box and a ZVOX 555 sound bar home theater. We did not miss conventional TV even a little bit. In fact, not having local newscasters trying to frighten us every night was very peaceful.

This is a trend with some staying power....cable companies don't seem to be showing any signs of reducing their rates in a meaningful way.   The result of course is less advertising revenue to local TV stations.  Just like what started happening to local newspapers ten years ago.