Cancelling my TV licence

cbwjm · Dec 26, 2018

Morrus said:
SkyQ includes Netflix these days.

Is that the basic package? I'm kind of surprised they include it, but then it is a great play by them to do so.

Morrus · Dec 26, 2018

cbwjm said:
Is that the basic package? I'm kind of surprised they include it, but then it is a great play by them to do so.

I’m not actually sure what package we have. We have all the movies though, so likely not a basic package. No sports.

Imaculata · Dec 27, 2018

I stopped watching tv years ago. Netflix, YouTube and Twitch provide more than any tv channel, with no commercials (thanks to ad-block).

In my country several tv networks have done their best to poison the well. They interupt movies and shows with more commercials than the length of the thing you're trying to watch, or by interupting a movie with an entirely different program! Imagine being halfway into a movie, and having to wait an hour or so for some random program to end in the middle of it! It is a good bet that by that time you'll have completely forgotten you were busy watching a movie. They also cut movies to ribbons, and always cut off the end credits (along with sometimes part of the ending). Especially commercial channels have shown a complete disrespect for their audience, so no wonder more and more people are turning to the internet.

MarkB · Dec 27, 2018

Imaculata said:
In my country several tv networks have done their best to poison the well. They interupt movies and shows with more commercials than the length of the thing you're trying to watch, or by interupting a movie with an entirely different program! Imagine being halfway into a movie, and having to wait an hour or so for some random program to end in the middle of it! It is a good bet that by that time you'll have completely forgotten you were busy watching a movie.

Yeah, even while I was still watching TV shows, I'd long since given up on watching anything live. TiVO-style technology was very welcome at the time, and I'd only ever watch something where I could skip through the ads, or pause in the middle and go do something else for awhile.

Tonguez · Dec 27, 2018

Yeah it’s been about 6 years since I watched actual television, YouTube and streaming content fills the niche.

I actually quite like the NZ model. TVNZ is state-owned but 90% commercial. The remainder is under a public good Charter for local content.

Production in NZ is supported by a contestable funding pool available to all.

Zardnaar · Dec 28, 2018

Tonguez said:
Yeah it’s been about 6 years since I watched actual television, YouTube and streaming content fills the niche.

I actually quite like the NZ model. TVNZ is state-owned but 90% commercial. The remainder is under a public good Charter for local content.

Production in NZ is supported by a contestable funding pool available to all.

Late 90'/early 2000's NZ had some good content. Only had 3 channels but we had all the good American and British TV shows on them for free. Things like Sopranos were free here along with free stuff like friends.

IDK how SKY works in the UK here its junk. Its around $100/month for anything decent and unless you like sport its nothing special. They have Game of Thrones which is available elsewhere and we bought it on Blu Ray anyway.

MarkB · Dec 28, 2018

Zardnaar said:
Late 90'/early 2000's NZ had some good content. Only had 3 channels but we had all the good American and British TV shows on them for free. Things like Sopranos were free here along with free stuff like friends.

IDK how SKY works in the UK here its junk. Its around $100/month for anything decent and unless you like sport its nothing special. They have Game of Thrones which is available elsewhere and we bought it on Blu Ray anyway.

Sky TV in the UK is mainly let down by the fixed contract terms. Fortunately they have a streaming service in the form of Now TV that provides essentially the same programmes at comparable monthly fees but with no long-term contract commitments. I tend to subscribe to the movie package for a month or two each year to catch up on a few movies, but I never find enough there to justify maintaining a longer subscription.

Jhaelen · Jan 2, 2019

In Germany, you don't get a choice. Every household has to pay for the public tv channels. I don't mind though, since I still use them a lot. My preference has shifted a bit, however, and these days I mostly watch documentaries and European tv shows. Arte is still my favorite channel with a very varied program and some excellent picks.

I only have my netflix account for about 3 months, now, and I definitely don't need anything else. I typically only manage to watch 1-2 seasons a month, so there's no way I'll ever run out of things to watch.

oni no won · Feb 13, 2019

I did not know that there were fees for watching tv in other countries. It was fine with just 8 channels but when we switched to digital, it became even better! (all free) There is, of course, cable but cable is on its way of becoming obsolete with streaming services like Netflix and the internet in general.