# Average Monthly Spending for Satellite TV Service Drops Below Cable Service



## rjruby (Dec 29, 2002)

Interesting news item.

http://www.newstream.com/us/story_pub.shtml?story_id=10326&user_ip=167.155.63.41


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## Cyclone (Jul 1, 2002)

And the satellite viewers likely are getting more channels for their $$$ too.


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## cj9788 (May 14, 2003)

My bill is about 101.96 a month. I compared it to my local cable for comparable service and here’s what I found. 

Dish net AEP 79.99
Network pack 11.99
2 addt receivers 9.98

Galaxy cable Non digital cable
Expanded Basic cable 49.99
All movie channels 49.99
3 Box leases 14.97

That’s 114.95 

Their package was less the distant nets and only 12 movie channels. 

Oh and they hope to have digital cable available some day but not any time soon.


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## Bogy (Mar 23, 2002)

Digital Cable from Cox Omaha is $74.85 for everything plus 26 movie channels, unless you want the TeleLatina tier. Plus 6.95 per box for the outlets you want digital, no charge for other outlets where the analogue is good enough. Of course it is less if you do like I do and also get your internet, local and long distance phone through them.

Not to mention I get to deal with the company which was the _2003 Recipent of the BBB Business Integrity Award for Service Excellence._


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## Cyclone (Jul 1, 2002)

I can't even get a straight answer from Comcasts web site on how much it would be to get similar service.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

The report fails to disclose that substantial increases in cable rates are a factor.


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## Bogy (Mar 23, 2002)

Nick said:


> The report fails to disclose that substantial increases in cable rates are a factor.


What substantial increases? Haven't noticed any in two years. Cox has been increasing revenue by offering additional services, not by raising rates. In fact, by subscribing to the additional services, like phone and internet, my cost has gone down.


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## Karl Foster (Mar 23, 2002)

Bogy said:


> What substantial increases? Haven't noticed any in two years. Cox has been increasing revenue by offering additional services, not by raising rates. In fact, by subscribing to the additional services, like phone and internet, my cost has gone down.


According to the article in the Deseret News (local Salt Lake City paper) today:

Since 1998, the average monthly cost of satellite TV service is up 8 percent to $48.93 a month.
During the same period, the monthly cost of cable surged 41 percent to $49.62

41% since 1998? Seems a bit outrageous to me.

Comcast (the cable company in my area for now) costs $53.49 for the same package as Total Choice Plus on Directv, which is $39.99. Add to that no PVR box as of yet, and a pathetic TV Guide guide system, and there is no comparison here.


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## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

The Cox in your areas behaves differently than the Cox in my area. I pay $70.99. o get comparable service from Cox would mean about $85.00----and that is before the application of franchise fees which my Cox CSR could not possibly estimate for me. I would get Oxygen and two additional HBOs. But I would lose a few channels too notably the supers that re significantly viewed in my house.


I guess if you have a good cable provide go for it. I never cared for the one here.


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## Bogy (Mar 23, 2002)

karl_f said:


> According to the article in the Deseret News (local Salt Lake City paper) today:
> 
> Since 1998, the average monthly cost of satellite TV service is up 8 percent to $48.93 a month.
> During the same period, the monthly cost of cable surged 41 percent to $49.62
> ...





> *Accounting for much of the spending increase among cable subscribers are upgraded and/or additional services such as digital TV, video-on-demand and high definition TV, which are being actively marketed to consumers.*


So its not just an increase for the same service. This is an increase in price which has a direct relationship to upgraded service. And now cable is a whole 69 cents more expensive, with upgraded service. WOW, stop the presses. :lol:

Cox is now testing DVR's in two areas and I hope they hit Omaha by the end of the year. Isn't it nice when a company takes the time to work out the bugs *before* they release equipment that frustrates many of its customers. Plus, Cox Omaha offers HDTV. I understand from another thread here that the poor slobs who subscribe to Dish still don't have HDTV. What a ripoff.



> *One area where cable providers may have an opportunity to stem this migration to satellite is in bundling telephony and Internet access with cable TV service. With growing consumer desire to combine multiple services in a single bill for convenience and simplicity, the study finds that 34 percent of cable subscribers want to combine their cable service with some other telecommunications product or service.*


This is the business plan my cable company uses. My answer to both long distance carriers and dish salesmen is, "Can you give me TV, internet, and local and long distance in one package?" Shuts them both up quick. If I was having problems with any of these, I would go back to DBS, but right now I have no reason, because...


> *Following DirecTV and DISH Network in the rankings are cable providers Cox, WideOpen West, Cable One, RCN and Time Warner, respectively.*


Not only that, but in Omaha, Cox is _*2003 Recipent of the BBB Business Integrity Award for Service Excellence.*_


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

_"...in Omaha, Cox is 2003 Recipent of the BBB Business Integrity Award for Service Excellence."_

[sarcasm mode/ON] *Oh, wow! I'm impressed.*  [sarcasm mode/OFF]

Integrity award? :lol:

Since the BBB is a self-serving, mutual-benefit, paid membership organization (club), I place exactly ZERO confidence in anything that any BBB anywhere has to say. Cox cable in Omaha probably received the nebulous 2003 award because it was their turn. Car dealerships are members of BBBs. That should tell you something. 
Get a clue.

Self-congratulation doesn't impress me at all.


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## Bogy (Mar 23, 2002)

Nick, have you ever reported a company to the BBB? I have. The BBB in New York got a company there to stop harrasing my church over the unethical business practices they were using. The BBB keeps track of complaints. I also feel they deserve the award due to my own experience in dealing with them. I suppose the J.D. Powers award ranks higher? The one that kept giving its award to Primestar year after year. The cable owned DBS company. And the one that places Cox highest among all cable companies. :lol:


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