Do people still watch satellite TV these days

[jack fugo]

Hey everyone, I was just curious about something. The other day I turned on my old satellite box and was surprised that some of the channels were still working fine. It made me wonder do people still actively watch satellite TV, or has everyone moved completely to online streaming now?

I remember back in the day, satellite was the main way to catch international channels, but things have changed a lot with streaming platforms and all the new tech.

What do you guys use mostly now, satellite, cable, or streaming services? And do you think satellite still has a future?

 

[KyL416]

Between Dish and DTV there are still several million satellite subscribers in the USA. And there are multiple national and local channels that are on DTV satellite and not on DTV stream/internet due to various regulatory and contractual issues. While you and others may not personally care for all of them, there have been posts by other users here and other forums and social media complaining about them not being available.

The big market though is commercial accounts including bars, restaraunts and hotels, which are not allowed to use streaming services like Prime Video, Netflix, YouTubeTV, Peacock, ESPN+ and Apple TV for public viewing, so DIRECTV has many of their live sports on dedicated business channels in the 9000s. They also handle the commercial music licensing so stores, restaraunts and waiting rooms can use the Music Choice channels on their speakers.

There's also the whole cloud vs physical DVR thing that's likely going to create a new wave of lost media a few years from now as most streaming MVPDs with cloud DVRs limit how long you can keep recordings and immediately delete recordings from channels they drop due to a dispute or a channel ceasing operations. Not every show is lucky enough to live forever on streaming services and syndication, and the ones that do many times have different versions compared to how it originally aired due to music rights and other things. Then you got certain companies who rather take a writeoff and wipe underperforming shows and movies off of the face of the earth.

 

[Tom Speer]

I use DIRECTV satellite and streaming. Some of the things I want to watch are only on streaming, but I prefer the satellite experience more.

 

[telstar_1]

You can switch quickly & seamlessly between channels/programs rather than haltingly & clunkily between apps.

 

[alnielsen]

I've been using DTV for 25 years. I have a couple streaming services. I can't go full streaming as my internet provider meters my use and I constantly hit my limit.

 

[John2021]

if verizon fios is telling customers to throw cable boxes out after they cancel. these companies know whats coming!!! the days of 400 -500 channels are over. we were getting robbed between the ad's and the same ole sh*t over and over... knowinng how bad there customer service is i wouldn't touch either one with a 10 foot pole!!! no contracts with streaming so when the rates go up you can cancel just not pay the next months bill or do it via your online acct.. no need to call in to cancel and be bothered with an idiot!!! we have a 10 gig internet fiber conn. there's really no need for cable or sat

 

[dtv757]

Yes love my DirecTV sat.

Not all areas have fiber /Fios

 

[dtv757]

Also DirecTV seams to be the only provider committed to sports (besides NFL)

YTTV dropped most RSN and about to loose Monumental

 

[dtv757]

Wish I had fios ...been waiting since 07

 

[KyL416]

Verizon fios is telling customers to throw cable boxes out after they cancel

That's only because new FiOS video customers get FiOS TV+, which is an IP based platform that isn't compatible with their older QAM tuners.

Existing video customers can keep their QAM tuners for now, but the plan is to convert everyone to FiOS TV+ equipment and discontinue QAM (which also ends support for 3rd party cablecard tuners like the HDHomeRun Prime and TiVO)

Blue Ridge is doing the same thing locally. They don't allow new QAM signups unless you choose a DTA plan that's the equivelent of Expanded Basic. Everyone else has to get their Stream platform that uses custom branded TiVO Android boxes. Their remaining QAM customers also lost VOD capabilities at the beginning of the year.

In Comcast's case, most channel additions over the past few years have been X1/IP only, while customers with legacy QAM boxes only get those channels in SD or not at all. Spectrum has also been rolling out IP only channels too.

 

[Tom Speer]

I have 200Mbps up and down fiber here in the lowest population density county from here to Texas. I could have more speed, but that is all I need. I still prefer satellite to streaming. OTA is not an option. Hamilton County, NY has less than 5000 year round residents, less than 3 people per square mile, but almost all of the little hamlets have fiber available.

 

[KyL416]

One of the benefits to NY having a public utility commission that oversees cable and telco/fiber.

At one point a few years ago they were going to kick Spectrum out of the state when they attempted to reneg on their promise to expand to unserved areas and upgrade their legacy systems as a condition of them taking over Time Warner Cable's New York franchises. i.e. until then where my dad lived in Columbia county, the Spectrum system was still running on a 450 MHz network, no HD or VOD, and digital cable was limited to 5 QAM muxes comprised of channels most other areas had since the analog era. It also never expanded beyond its original 1980s footprint of a trunk down the main road, and no more than a mile down the side streets. Over on Long Island, the barrier islands like Oak and Gilgo Beach were still limited to a 450 MHz analog service fed by microwave from across the bay until the mid 2010s when Altice was forced to upgrade them to fiber as a condition of their Cablevision takeover.


In PA, our utiity commission is powerless, so large areas are still copper/DSL only after Verizon reneged on their agreement to deploy FiOS to all of the areas they serve in the state. Locally Blue Ridge got away with cherry picking neighborhoods and blocks until the state paid them to wire unserved areas a few years ago. Because of the mountainous terrain there are many deadspots preventing OTA reception, so there are a lot of older homes that have remnants of C-Band systems in their yard as that was pretty much the only way to get TV until DTV/USSB, Dish and Primestar launched in the 90s.

 

["MysteryMan"]

I've been a DIRECTV customer since 1995 because no other satellite, cable, or streaming service can provide the viewing needs of my family.

 

[dtv757]

Unrelated but I do remember fios beta testing IPTV in 2016 ...

 

[John2021]

That's only because new FiOS video customers get FiOS TV+, which is an IP based platform that isn't compatible with their older QAM tuners.

Existing video customers can keep their QAM tuners for now, but the plan is to convert everyone to FiOS TV+ equipment and discontinue QAM (which also ends support for 3rd party cablecard tuners like the HDHomeRun Prime and TiVO)

Blue Ridge is doing the same thing locally. They don't allow new QAM signups unless you choose a DTA plan that's the equivelent of Expanded Basic. Everyone else has to get their Stream platform that uses custom branded TiVO Android boxes. Their remaining QAM customers also lost VOD capabilities at the beginning of the year.

In Comcast's case, most channel additions over the past few years have been X1/IP only, while customers with legacy QAM boxes only get those channels in SD or not at all. Spectrum has also been rolling out IP only channels too.

Ah ok so there pulling a charter then getting rid of all of the QAM tuners and cable cards!!! since the world boxes are iptv

 

[John2021]

I have 200Mbps up and down fiber here in the lowest population density county from here to Texas. I could have more speed, but that is all I need. I still prefer satellite to streaming. OTA is not an option. Hamilton County, NY has less than 5000 year round residents, less than 3 people per square mile, but almost all of the little hamlets have fiber available.

our fiber provider only has two plans 10 gig or a gig conn... the upload speed helps as well when uploading 4k videos to youtube.. it's a tax write off also

 

[John2021]

I've been a DIRECTV customer since 1995 because no other satellite, cable, or streaming service can provide the viewing needs of my family.

what are your plans if they merge depending

 

[John2021]

Wish I had fios ...been waiting since 07

you will more than likely be dead before your area gets fiber LOL.. i remember verizion touting 5G service for our area!!! sh*t it's been 5 years and still fake 4G

 

[dtv757]

you will more than likely be dead before your area gets fiber LOL.. i remember verizion touting 5G service for our area!!! sh*t it's been 5 years and still fake 4G

Crazy part is the other side of the "main road" has had fios since 07 . But my side is a different wire center and got skipped .

So my city has fios, my particular area does not .