Q. My Comcast bill just keeps going up and up! Why do they raise prices so often? I don’t know how much longer I can take it! Haven’t they heard about cord-cutting? Do they even care if I leave? — Bernie, Boston.
Ed, it’s not just DIRECTV. Six major pay TV operators — DIRECTV, U-verse, Cox, Dish, Comcast and Charter — decided to raise prices last January.
And it’s highly likely they will do it again in the next three or four months. Most pay TV services have raised prices at the beginning of the year for the last several years.
Click Amazon: See Today’s Top-Selling 4K TVs!
The price hikes have come although the cable and satellite operators have collectively lost several million subscribers over the last decade. And the biggest reason why people say they are dropping their pay TV service is that their monthly TV bills are out of control.
So you would think that the pay TV executives would take note and keep prices where they are, or perhaps even lower them. Right?
Well, it’s not that easy.
Click Amazon: Roku Ultra 4K Streaming Device: $99
In order to stay in business, cable and satellite services have to pay for the channels and programming they carry. And the price of program acquisition has also soared over the last several years.
Consequently, the pay TV services have to raise subscriber prices to keep up with the rising cost of buying the programming.
In the last few years, pay TV executives have tried to turn the tide by refusing to carry certain channels which are particularly expensive and may not reach a large audience. For instance, DIRECTV, once considered the industry’s sports leader, has refused to add SportsNet LA (the TV home of the Los Angeles Dodgers) and the Pac 12 Network, which airs the conference’s football and basketball games. The AT&T-owned satellite service is trying to save a few bucks to avoid raising your monthly bills even further.
But, of course, this is a calculated gamble. If DIRECTV, or any other pay TV service, refuses to carry certain popular channels, subscribers might leave for that reason as well. So a pay TV service can only hold the line so much.
The pay TV services have also tried to meet subscribers half-way by offering slimmed-down packages that contain fewer channels, but cost less per month. In fact, AT&T and Dish have launched live streaming services (AT&T’s DIRECTV Now; Dish’s Sling TV) with fewer channels and lower prices in an effort to keep consumers happy.
The cable and satellite operators are desperately trying to strike a balance that will keep the largest number of subscribers on board while maintaining the highest profit possible. (While they do care that subscribers leave, maintaining profits is more important.)
With the explosion of less expensive streaming services, this has become more difficult. Faced with a $100 (or more) monthly bill, many consumers are opting to subscribe to a live streaming service for less than $50 a month, even if streaming isn’t always technically reliable.
Bottom line, Bernie. Don’t expect your monthly bill from Comcast to go down anytime soon. The programmers will keep asking for more money, and the pay TV operators will keep raising your programming fees to offset the cost.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
I dropped a Charter package of cable TV/phone/internet several years back because I couldn’t afford the $150 a month rip off. Now I have to pay them $64.99 per month just for their internet service so that I can use Roku and Sling TV. Back in 1974, Charter came to our city and our ass of a Mayor signed a Franchise with them. (the city receives about $5 or $6 per person who has Charter services, so they don’t want to give the Franchise up). My only choices for internet services are Charter and slow slow slow phone internet service from Sprint. (like where I live it’s 3 GB). I would like to know how to get our city counselors to break that Franchise, so that we can have other options for Cable services or internet services. Any ideas people???