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What would Apple need to offer for you to drop your cable/satellite subscription?

Thursday, March 18, 2010 · 4:22 pm · 165 Comments

This is an open-ended question for our readers who are cable/satellite subscribers:

What would Apple have to offer for you to seriously consider dropping your cable/satellite subscription?

Certain networks? Tiers of networks (bundles) or à la carte network selection? Specific monthly subscription price? Cost of hardware? Additional capabilities (Blu-ray, DVR, 1080p, etc.)?

MacDailyNews Take: We’d need the major networks, certain cable networks, HBO, a robust sports package (which would mean live streaming from Apple) for a reasonable monthly fee that we won’t specify for fear of tainting your responses below. We’d hope it would be something our current Apple TV hardware could accommodate via firmware update, but would consider a new hardware purchase depending on the additional capabilities offered.

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Comment Feed

165 Comments

1 2 3 … 9 Next »

jerry

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:25 pm · Reply

Ala Carte Channel Selection. One of my biggest gripes with cable providers is paying for 700 channels, and I watch maybe 20 of them.
KillBill

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:27 pm · Reply

Dropped it years ago.

But the problem is the content keepers who don’t give us access through Apple TV

Breaking Bad is great, you can buy a season pass before it shows… download and watch the newest show as it is broadcast.

Weeds… you have to wait until it comes out on DVD a year later…

The problem is the content cheaters, not Apple
An Optimist

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:27 pm · Reply

I’d switch from DirecTV to AppleTV if Apple would carry live programming, along with the usual video on demand service.

We need more international news channel carriage, especially like “BBC World”.
Lava_Head_UK

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:31 pm · Reply

A HDR with at least 1TB of storage with dual HD Satalite reciever wireless N with a version of safari to surf the web through my set top box that should be sufficient for me to start with
x

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:31 pm · Reply

Piss on television. Don’t even watch it anymore. Too much American made shit. Awful, nasty, gross, pathetic.
Jim

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:31 pm · Reply

a la carte station selection for starters.
ploogman

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:32 pm · Reply

local programming
all networks
same lineup that cable has
free movies (not pay for each one) – just 1 monthly fee
cheaper than $49 per month
sign me up beeotches
nomoremsbs

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:32 pm · Reply

I want to drop DirecTV. But only if AppleTV offered a movie & TV program subscription service at an attractive price.
mrharm

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:32 pm · Reply

I agree with jerry – I’d like to be able to pick-and-choose my channels, with the option, of course, of adding/removing as I feel necessary – I also agree with MacDailyNews that, as an existing AppleTV owner, I’d like to see additional functionality added to my AppleTV via firmware. DVR capabilities would be a must. But to completely remove myself from TWC, Apple would need to have content available immediately….
Paul

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:32 pm · Reply

Content! There is hardly anything to watch on ATV. I would love to rent movies more than once a week but there is nothing new. Up is *still* in the New & Noteworthy section.
Lava_Head_UK

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:32 pm · Reply

Oh and 100% ad free programing lol why should we pay to watch ads
PB

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:33 pm · Reply

a la carte. The ability to pay for any particular program at the same time it is aired.
MAPE

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:34 pm · Reply

For Prime Time shows, the à la carte model works fine. However, they still need live streaming for sports.

TV companies, the ones who create original content, won’t let thus happen too fast because they still need the revenue from non-prime time shows, like those which air in the morning or late night. But this question is about what we need, nit they.
Macduff

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:35 pm · Reply

@ jerry
I agree. I have cable in the uk and my son has satellite (uk) and in both cases in order to get all the channels that you want you have to buy the whole damned package as they split the parts you want into various options, whereby one option only has part of what you require. You get my meaning. As a result, at least here in the uk, the people who have the general package of approx 150 channels (albeit 140 of them crap) are getting their viewing on the cheap whilst us sports and movie fans pay over the odds.
Eric

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:36 pm · Reply

I already don’t have cable TV. And I never watch anything live, so I don’t need live streaming. But a subscription service where I can download movies or TV shows would be excellent. Or split it up between a TV package and a movie package. In fact, I watch so few shows that you could put a cap as to how many shows you download per month and then charge extra if you want to go over.

But again, it’s dependent on the content providers. I know if it were up to Apple, they would do this.
Jersey_Trader

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:37 pm · Reply

Why not either purchase TiVo with petty cash or make an iMac mini DVR with cable input and HDTV output. We still could pay for the phone/cable/internet package. Just give me a credit for returning or not wanting your DVR. DONE!

If they let TiVo record their media to hard drive then HOW CAN THEY SAY NO TO APPLE USING A Mac OR AppleTV?
cptnkirk

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:39 pm · Reply

I am already planning to drop my cable service this spring and buy an TV in the fall. My calculations show that I spend north of $1900 a year on cable. To buy the programmes I watch regularly on TV from the iTunes store would cost me less than $900 a year. I don’t want any specific channels. That’s wasted money. I just want the programming I enjoy and that’s not on only one or two channels. A number of channels also offer their programming for free on line. Also, I don’t care about seeing things when they air. I currently watch many programmes from my PVR. Soon I won’t be at the cable or network mercy for planning my time. Hurray!
Peter

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:41 pm · Reply

Actually, I’ll start with a simple one I haven’t seen yet.

DVD or Blu-Ray. It doesn’t even have to rip it, but that would be acceptable, too.

When Apple released iTunes, it gave you the ability to rip music you already owned and put it on your iPod. Apple referred to AppleTV as an iPod for your TV, but the only way to get video content on it was to either (a) buy/rent it from Apple or (b) go through the various backflips necessary to rip encrypted video.

So what would be best, obviously, would be to rip a DVD/Blu-Ray disk. Obviously, the studios would have a complete hissy-fit over that one. So the second best solution would be to just put a damn DVD/Blu-Ray player in the box.

Do that and I’d probably start considering it.
MacBeliever

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:42 pm · Reply

I’m dropping it this month and putting an antenna on the roof. Maybe Apple can offer tv shows with season passes at a quarter of the current price or less.
Jersey_Trader

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 4:44 pm · Reply

Maybe Apple will be streaming live and stored TV from the BILLION DOLLAR SERVER FARM in North Carolina? What do you all think they built that thing for? They paved the parking lot yesterday, building is up, both water towers are up, … Does everyone really think that the server farm will not be up and running when the iPad start shipping?

Wouldn’t a BILLION DOLLAR SERVER FARM be the world’s largest DVR? Think think think. Cloud computing plus cloud DVR supplied by Apple!