Cutting the Cord

At The Verge, Chris Welch explains why — despite the thin channel selection — he’s giving Dish’s new Sling service a shot:

That said, $20 isn’t cheap. Add in Netflix and Hulu Plus and your total for monthly video subscriptions is nearly 40 bucks. And then there’s internet to worry about. But the question is really who you want to be paying all that money to. I can’t get around forking it over to Cablevision if I want the best internet in my area. But I’m more than willing to redirect some of that cash to a company that’s taking a chance. Yes, even an entrenched satellite provider like Dish.

Call it the FU-Factor. The cable companies have made approximately zero real friends over the years, incentivizing customers to look at anything else for their TV needs. Cable is facing at least three different potential disruptors and has a customer base whose mood ranges from “unexcited” at best to “angry” for millions. What they ought to be doing is offering better services and/or lower prices. Instead, they mostly fiddle while people like Welch cut the cord.

Nobody will miss them when they’re gone.