Smaller cable companies say they want to save you money, but they can’t. Why not? Comcast won’t let them. [More]
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Lawsuit Claims CenturyLink Continuously Offers Bogus Price Quotes
By 7.13.17
From extra, unexpected fees, Broadcast TV charges, or a completely different base price for your service of choice, it’s not uncommon to open your cable or internet bill to find the amount higher than you anticipated. One state is taking on these surprise bills by suing CenturyLink, accusing the cable and phone provider of frequently billing customers at higher rates than sales agents quoted. [More]
Amazon Prime Will Soon Be More Basic Than Basic Cable
By 7.10.17
In the old days, if you wanted to watch shows and movies that were on cable channels, of course, you had to pay for basic cable, that was the norm. But with the entry of Amazon Prime, there could be a new marker for what the regular American household considers a basic service. [More]
More Details Revealed About Comcast’s Planned Streaming Service
By 4.10.17
Bit by bit we’re beginning to build an idea of what Comcast’s “it-will-launch-someday” streaming service will look like when that day comes. And no surprise here, the over-the-top option — rumored to be called Xfinity Instant TV — will come with programs from Comcast-owned NBCUniversal. [More]
AMC Reportedly Working On Streaming Service Connected To Cable Packages
By 3.27.17
If you’re a fan of that one show where the undead aren’t the biggest threat to the living, or the one where the Cinnabon guy used to be a shady-ish lawyer, but you want a little more from the shows, you’re just the person AMC is looking for: The cable network is preparing to launch an online video streaming service featuring content related to its popular shows. [More]
Cable Company Sends Refund Check That Bounces, Bills Customer Twice For Service He Doesn’t Have
By 3.13.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
When Consumerist reader Andy canceled his Time Warner Cable service back in November he expected to get a small refund. But he got more than he bargained for: a bounced check fee, followed several months later by bills for service he no longer had. [More]
Univision Blackout Ends For Charter Customers… For Now
By 3.7.17
A month after Univision first pulled its programming from Charter-Spectrum as the result of a contract dispute, the two sides have agreed to kiss and make up — for the time being, anyway — to prevent any further channel blackouts. [More]
Time Warner Cable Customers Unable To Access TV Apps After Charter Merger
By 2.23.17
It’s been nearly a year since Charter officially acquired Time Warner Cable, but TWC customers — now “Time Warner Spectrum” — say they are no longer able to access an array of TV apps that require their pay-TV logins. [More]
Comcast CEO Loves His Company So Much, He (Maybe) Wants To Move In With It
By 2.9.17
A number of great business tycoons — like Bob Belcher and James McGill, esq. — have lived where they work, so why shouldn’t Comcast’s favorite son, CEO Brian Roberts, take up residence inside Kabletown Tower? [More]
Charter’s Univision Blackout Ends With Court Ruling
By 2.3.17 — Updated: 3.7.17
Charter-Spectrum customers now have access to TV networks owned by Univision, after a judge granted the cable company’s request for a temporary restraining order against the media company, effectively ending the blackout that started Tuesday night. [More]
Comcast Launching Xfinity App For Roku, But Not Ditching Set-Top Box Just Yet
By 1.31.17
With the FCC officially dropping set-top box reform from its agenda, the best we can hope for is a gradual shift toward app-based access to pay-TV programming. Comcast and Roku helped nudge things an inch in that direction today, announcing an Xfinity TV app that comes with as many questions as it does benefits. [More]
Small Cable Companies, Indie Networks Ask FCC To Force Channel Unbundling
By 1.31.17
As cable packages have ballooned in both volume and price over the years, a growing segment of consumers has demanded options for unbundled, choose-your-own-channels cable. So far, those cries have gone largely unheard, except for a few streaming, internet-based options. However, it seems the à la carte option has a growing fan base clamoring to be heard: small cable companies themselves. [More]
Cable Company Can’t Reach Agreement With CBS, Tells Customers To Go Stream It Instead
By 1.18.17
There’s a contract dispute afoot in the Nutmeg State. Cable company Optimum has been unable to reach a retransmission agreement with the Hartford CBS affiliate, and as a result, thousands of Connecticut residents are left without access to the news and shows they’re paying for but can’t watch. It’s an irritatingly common story, but this time there’s a wrinkle: The cable company is still directing its customers to watch the network… they just want subscribers to do it online, instead. [More]
Millions Of Charter Customers Could Start 2017 Without NBC Channels
By 12.30.16
Were you hoping to catch the big game on Sunday night between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions on NBC, a game that has major playoff implications? Or perhaps you wanted to settle down and tune in while some Real Housewives stars throw wine at each other on Bravo? If you’re one of 16 million or so Charter Spectrum customers, your plans might be foiled by a contract dispute between the cable company and NBCUniversal. [More]
Is TV Sports Getting So Expensive That Customers Are Finally Cutting The Cord?
By 12.5.16
At this point, it’s a hoary old saw that sports networks and broadcasts of live sporting events are one of the main reasons your pay-TV bills continue to rise. We all kind of “know” that sports are expensive, and that the costs come through to everyone else… but as millions of dollars in charges and fees become billions, are consumers and viewers going to stick around? [More]
Analyst: How Much Does Comcast Lose If You Cut The Cord? Less Than $6 A Month
By 12.1.16 — Updated: 12.2.16
With services like DirecTV Now, Dish’s Sling TV, and PlayStation Vue proliferating everywhere, it seems as if finally the age of the cord-cutter is going mainstream. A subscriber who cuts out their pay-TV service could see their bill drop by $50 or $100 in a month — but does that mean your cable company is losing that much revenue from you? One major industry analyst thinks it’s not even close. [More]
Some Time Warner Cable Customers Still Waiting Months For $300 Promotional Gift Cards
By 11.11.16
Back in February, Ann chose to keep her business with Time Warner Cable when the company dangled a free $300 prepaid gift card in her face. Fast forward to November and she’s still waiting for the card, like hundreds of other customers who stuck with the company or switched to the pay-TV provider. So what’s the deal? [More]
How Much Does Cord-Cutting Actually Cost Big Cable?
By 9.30.16
Cord-cutting is, as we know, a real trend. It’s not what the majority of viewers do — huge numbers of consumers subscribe to cable, satellite, or fiber TV service — but it’s definitely on the rise. And one new analysis thinks the cable industry could be losing at least $1 billion a year in revenue from customers who say “so long.” [More]
