U.S-based on demand video streaming service Netflix, Inc., added 900,000 Canadian subscribers last year amid an accelerating shift away from traditional cable and satellite TV packages, a new report says.
The Convergence Consulting Group on Monday said about 95,000 fewer households were paying for TV from cable, satellite and telecom providers at the end of 2014, while Canadians ditched 13,000 linear TV subscriptions in 2013.
The report forecast a further decline of 97,000 in 2015, contrasting the number with annual growth in 2011, when TV subscriber additions averaged 220,000.
As of the end of 2014, the group estimates that 3.09 million Canadian households, or 21.6 per cent, did not have a traditional linear TV subscription, up from 2.85 million in 2013.
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Telus Optic has a bewildering array of channels and packages, but with a “Smart TV”, I can access YouTube and Netflix as well as numerous Internet radio and music services through my TV and computer. With an antenna I can pick up the CBC and CITY as well as YES here in Edmonton. Not surprisingly, If I wasn’t still on their special offer for combined TV and Internet for $30 per month, I would drop the TV portion and just stay with the Internet! I can fully understand why people don’t choose to pay $100 per month to watch endless reruns of Mike Holmes. The only channel I would choose to pay for is Turner Classic Movies.
I simply don’t watch TV anymore and dropped that part of my service years ago. I recently signed up with Netflix thanks to my Daughter who has only that as well. Not that I use it much either. There are perhaps 3 channels I might pay for, Discover, nature and history. But once one has seen the weekly offering, it is hardly worthwhile paying for.
The cable companies were all up in arms about the recent CRTC decision to allow customers to pick and choose what channels they want. That’s because the gravy train of money that cable companies received for channels very few people watched is ending. If they want me as a customer, then I want to pick and choose every channel.
It is a sad state that the cable cos. rely on the crtc to lead them in costomer service. they depend on crtc regulation on how to service there customer. what a joke. if they were customer focused they would think of ways they could keep customers happy and not contunually hide behind crtc regualtion for generating revenue. cable cos should start immediately unbundling and allow customers to pick and choose. remember what happened when phone cos had competition suddenly customer service became important and they were and still are offering deals
I still really enjoy watching traditional TV. We PVR a lot and watch when we get time. The biggest reason I’ll never be a cord cutter, though, is live sports. Hockey, curling, baseball, golf, football….I need my TSN, Sportsnet, etc, on my massive TV.
Gee.. maybe if they stopped gouging people! The last increase at Shaw caused massive amounts of people to cancel. How do I know? I work in one of the stores. They just don’t get it, if they had lowered the price or gave people something better, they would not have lost as much as they did or perhaps might have gained. But there is no true competition so nobody tries to beat the other guy anymore. Shaw is getting so bad now that it’s made it’s monthly employee score cards even stricter and many people who are hired get fired after their first month. It’s really pathetic.