Roku says *Showtime* is now available: 30 Day Free Trial

[SteveO]

DeusxMac wrote:
Seems like "cord cutters" are paying a certain amount to be rid of what they don't want; like the innumerable shopping channels; channels in foreign languages they don't speak etc..

Ah heck, I get those on regular TV!

[SteveO]

You're also assuming that a lot of "cord cutters" are signing up for those individual stations. I have Netflix Instant and Prime and an old dying 480p Wii, that's mainly why I'm getting a Roku. Also like the idea of those other stations you can get for free via the Roku. Not into the paid scene except for what I've got going now. Good enough for me.

[Robert M]

SteveO,

It isn't an unreasonable assumption. Cord cutters are going to want to watch movies, past episodes and seasons of TV series and contents of all sorts. They aren't going to get it from over the air TV. Likely, cord cutters will sign up for one of the "pay by the month" streaming services.

I'm willing to go as far to say they'll likely sign up for multiple streaming services. Or, they'll rent content on an episode by episode basis or by the season. Cord cutters won't necessarily be a part of the "cable TV" monopoly but I'm willing to bet they will be paying for content one way or the other.

Robert

[space-time]

with cable TV you also need a DVR, right? how much is that? if from cable company, that has a monthly fee. With Roku (and etc.) you watch when you want. Also much easier to binge watch a month HBO and next month SHO, if you don't want to pay both at the same time. I think it is much easier to sign up and cancel with these online streaming channels than it is to do so with the cable company.

I am in vacation, but when I return to US I will sign up to HBO for a couple of months. Then maybe take a break and try SHO.

[Robert M]

Space,

No. You don't have to have a DVR with cable TV. You only order and pay for the DVR service if you want it. Even then, you don't need to get a DVR from the cable TV provider. There are other options available, i.e. TIVO. If you don't have a DVR and want to "watch what you want, when you want it", then you use the provider's Video on Demand (VOD) service.

With FIOS, VOD is free with your service and content is available from any channel in your package. What is available is dependent on the channel and your programming package. The VOD service is more like Hulu than NetFlix in that it offers primarily current content and some older content.

It's also very easy to sign up for and cancel premium channels like HBO and Showtime. No problem at all with FIOS. Same thing with Cablevision when my wife and I had TV service from them. Easy enough to do online or via the phone.

Robert

[steve...]

No Showtime free trial for me.

Sorry, you are currently ineligible for this promotion.


I think a past "free trial" must have disqualified me.

[dk62]

Well, a lot of unknowns here. Personally, I would love to get rid of all the ESPNs and reality TV channels, but it does not seem that current pricing structure works in the favor of cord cutting unless you have decent OTA reception. And the FiOS bundle of all premium channels is fairly well priced.

One thing that should be kept in mind is that VOD for premium channels does not have the same amount of older content as the subscription services over the Internet, but at least with FiOS you have access to those services anyway. So sometimes you have to watch an older HBO or Showtime show through Roku instead of through cable box, but that content is part of your premium cable subscription.