Has anyone here gotten rid of cable/satellite TV?

We get our Internet through Time Warner.

 

So you can save money on cable if you get someone else to pay for it.

Got it.

 

We're now at the point of pricing the competition to weigh all of our options. DirecTv has some pretty good promos going and we could actually upgrade our service and lower our monthly cost by $25 for the first year.

 

I don't watch a lot of regularly programmed TV shows. Almost exclusively sports. I currently have a DirecTV package that costs ~$840/yr. Thinking about dropping the package and subscribing to NBA League Pass online, MLB.tv, WWE Network, and potentially Netflix. NBA playoffs and college football are the only things stopping me.

WWE Network could be a game changer if it succeeds. The two satellite companies are making threats about dropping WWE PPVs, so they are obviously scared. Vince McMahon is the godfather of PPV, and he may revolutionize online content again. If WWE Network succeeds, I think a lot of companies will follow.

Will cable companies begin raising internet prices to make up for lost television revenue?

 

I've got internet through the same company as cable TV, but have had technical issues. Absolutely no success with trying to get events streamed live, including these Olympics. Just one error message after another. I am vowing to give up cable TV for a few months this summer, however. I think it would make me more productive with my time.

 

My brother is also making payments on the credit card I maxed out from my surgery bill three years ago. So if I'm considered to be taking advantage of him, it certainly isn't because I use his cable log in.

 

Why?

 

My brother's offered me his login, too, because I have no way to access ESPN without it. Clearly, I do not have ESPN where I am posted now, and even when I was in training in DC, I was essentially living in a hotel. I had ESPN, but the cable was not in my name.

It's not a matter of trying to save fees as opposed to not having any other way to access sports.

Does ESPN have an Internet-only watch subscription? If so, what does it cover -- all broadcasts? I'd look into that for college bowl season for sure. However, my Internet is really wonky here anyway and my laptop is ancient (Windows XP). I've no room to download anything else, but buying a new laptop or other device is out of the question.

 

What about a slingbox? Does anyone share those?

 

We have DirecTV. We love DirecTV.

And rather than try and cut costs, my wife and I take side jobs to make sure we are very comfortably within budget.

Maybe in the future we consider alternatives, but right now we're content.

 

My DirecTV bill jumped another $5 this month, so I decided to bite the bullet and cancel HBO. I wanted to drop to a lower package, but no package lower than mine offers Tennis Channel, so . . .

They offered to cut the HBO charge by $7/month for six months, so I said fine.

I will revisit in another six months. But in one short phone call I sidestep the bill increase and even lower the total bill by a couple of bucks a month.

 

I have one at my parents' house. Because it's at my parents', my father has the login so you could say I share it with him. I'd be hesitant to give anyone else my login because from what I understand, only one person can use it at once. If I want to watch a football game, I'm not letting anyone encroach on my viewing pleasure.