ONLINE TV IS BEATING OUT CABLE TV

according to a great article by david colker of the LAtimes, a growing number of people are cutting the television service connections from cable satellite and telephone companies in favor of viewing their picks over the computer.

Pulling the TV cord yet staying plugged in.
For reasons that include saving money, convenience, personal choice and a hatred of commercials, these viewers are cutting the cord from cable, satellite and telephone suppliers of TV service, and even throwing away the rabbit ears and other antennas that brought in over-the-air broadcasts.

"The idea that you come home and your entertainment choices are dictated on what some entertainment channel decides is not for me," said video game producer Chris Codding, whose Venice apartment has a 52-inch Sony television that's used only for video games and viewing DVDs.

"I really like the concept of having something in your mind that you want to watch," Codding said, "and then going to the computer and watching it."

There have been no mainstream studies on just how many people have cut the cord to established TV program suppliers, and the percentage of viewers who have done it is probably small. But there's plenty of evidence that the number of people who are watching TV shows online is growing. READ MORE-

i'm throwing in my 2cents here... there is one very important reason david barley touched on, and deserves an article on it's own.

the reason i switched to online is because i was sick of being gouged by the cable companies, in particular time/warner.
not only was the service overpriced, but the quality was spotty at best, and down right incompetent at it's worst.

i would spend hour upon hour with tech support, just to receive decent reception. not only was i paying a premium monthly fee of $170 per month, but i was treated to indifference and rudeness from T/W representatives and tech support. unfortunately T/W has become so big, they just don't care about the individual.

after 10 years of having the same cable service, ( on my end anyway) i had to endure 3 major company mergers and takeovers. comcast to roadrunner, to time/warner. each time the service would become pathetic and downright non-existent. after numerous errors and missteps by my cable service, they decided to threaten me with a shut off notice, ( they claimed i was one month late for services they were billing me in advance for) i took the bait and said. "cancel my service."

i have been using free internet tv ever since. i am very happy, stress free and my blog is thriving!