Television has been around for a long time! Kids today get a chuckle when they see the bulky old-school TVs with 2 antennas known as “rabbit ears,” and black and white TV.
Electronic television was first demonstrated by American Philo Farnsworth, known as “The Father of Television,” in San Francisco on September 7th, 1927. The 21-year-old inventor lived in a house with no electricity until he was 14.
In 2021, American Cable and pay TV providers generated total revenue of approximately $93 billion, up from $86.3 billion in 2020! Advertising revenues have become mind-boggling during major events, such as the Super Bowl when it costs millions to run a 30 or 60-second ad.
We are now in the Covid-19 era which has expedited the great unbundling of Television! Because so many of us are now working from home, internet-based streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, and YouTube TV have become more popular.
As the great Yogi Berra used to say, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” What I mean by that is, when trying to decide among the many video services, it is likely you will come to a point of making a decision between cable television versus the various streaming services!
While both cable TV and video streaming services provide the same result (entertaining video on your screen), the way they do so is vastly different. Cable providers broadcast video content along their dedicated networks and have long-standing relationships with content providers. Streaming providers on the other hand are newcomers to the video market, and they aren’t bound by the same rules. They can offer their services nationwide, and you can use their services with a variety of electronic devices.
In the early days of Television, it was common for families to have dinner together at 7 pm and be seated in front of the living room Television for the 8 pm movie special on network TV. Today, with the advent of the DVR (digital video recorder) and streaming video on phones and tablets, it is more common for everyone to do their own thing after dinner.
The best way to compare these two different methods of delivering video entertainment is by using a chart. See below:
| Cable | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| Picture quality | Excellent HD | No control, based on internet |
| Content available | Hundreds of channels | Fewer channels |
| Choices available | Few cable monopolies | Many streaming combinations |
| Ease of use | Need set-up box | Used by any internet device |
| Price | More expensive | Less pricey can mix and match |
| Extra costs | Set-up box & DVR | Premium channels for add-ons |
| Discounts | If you add net/phone | Can password share to save money |
| Contracts | Usually 1-year contract | No contracts, month to month |
| Portability | Phone app | Anywhere you have internet access |
You are probably asking yourself, which video service is better? The answer is it depends! If your family lives in a low-quality internet area and/or there are many family members watching different programs at the same time, stick with the traditional cable TV package. It is frustrating in poor internet areas to have your TV constantly buffering.
That being said, there is little to lose by trying streaming services. There is no extra equipment to buy and if you don’t like the services you are getting, you can cancel it at the end of 30 days or try a different provider.
Should you not like streaming services after a few months, usually you can switch back to cable and get their discounted introductory subscriber rates. Like many banks and insurance companies, cable providers will offer new customers lower prices than their existing subscribers. This is why it is usually worth a face-to-face visit to your local cable provider store once per year to shop your package and pricing. Good luck with whichever choice you make!