Important OTA Update

 TV Encryption Update from Lon.TV

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdXDvLjaFj4&t=1s 

Long Time Coming Update

Long Time Coming Update

 

Last year we discontinued Sling as their prices went way up. Now we just have the antenna, the hundreds of channels that our Samsung Plus TV gets for free (a lot of them are the same or similar as cable), The attic antenna which picks up about 50 channels free. Pluto TV (free), TUBI TV (free), Netflix (free with T-Mobile), Paramount+ ($7.99/mo.), Peacock ($7.99/mo.) and Prime video (included with Amazon Prime). We also stream a lot of free content from YouTube. In total we pay less than $25/month for content, which is plenty. We pay $54/month for Verizon Fios high speed internet. People paying $100's of dollars a month for TV and internet content are very misguided.

My 2 best sources for everything to cut cable...

 cordcutters news.com 

 channel master.com/

Also...Amazon has a nicely priced Tablo antenna DVR on sale this week for $99.95 with no subscription fees.

Amazon Tablo DVR 

 Be careful though as ATSC 1.0 is going away in 2027 and will be unusable after that.

I recently found Lon.TV on Youtube. He has some really good information on Cord Cutting. This one in particular.

Lon.TV 

Cable TV Packages Now Cost an Average of $217.42 Per Month

 

Cable TV Packages Now Cost an Average of $217.42 Per Month & Costs More Than Water, Power, & Trash Combined

Cord cutting is sweeping the nation as more people find alternate sources of entertainment other than expensive cable contracts. Altogether, cable companies are hemorrhaging millions of customers every year as price plans for cable packages increase.

Back in 2018, the Federal Communications Commission’s Report on Cable Industry Pricing showed an expanded basic cable plan cost an average of $73.08 per month, not including equipment rentals, taxes, or other fees.

Comparitech reports that as of June 2022, cable bills increased to an average of $217.42 per month, including bundle packages and additional fees. The report states cable is “more than all other utility bills combined.”

For 2022, Comparitech averages electric and gas to have cost $135.60 per month, water bills averaged $54.90, and garbage an average of $15.00 monthly. Altogether, these three bills total $205.50 a month, $11.92 less than signing up for cable.

In comparison, the average internet-only plan costs an average of $60 to $90 per month according to a 2022 analysis from Consumer Reports. Having internet only can provide consumers with nearly the same, if not more, entertainment options than traditional cable.

With a growing number of free streaming services, more people are becoming cord cutters. While a lot of free streaming platforms have ads, they are comparable in quantity to traditional cable packages so subscribers aren’t noticing much difference after bouncing from cable, other than a decrease in monthly expenses.

Even signing up for a paid streaming subscription in addition to a monthly internet bill can help save customers a lot of money. A growing number of streaming platforms are even bundling together different subscriptions to create a one-stop app. 

For instance, Disney bundles Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu. Amazon offers additional subscriptions at a discounted rate when Amazon Prime members sign up for multiple channels through its platform. And recently Warner Bros. Discovery launched Max which hosts HBO Max content as well as Discovery+.

 

Source:

https://cordcuttersnews.com/cable-tv-packages-now-cost-an-average-of-217-42-per-month-costs-more-than-water-power-trash-combined/

3rd Generation DVR

We've been having trouble with our Channel Master DVR+ channel guide as it's no longer supported by Channel Master. Many times it's been missing recording an OTA program as the guide has not been updating and just says "No Information Available". A similar thing happened to our old Channel Master CM-7000PAL DVR that was our first OTA DVR that we bought about 12 years ago.

Our DVR+ is about 6 years old now and the hard drive was replaced about 3 years ago so I was thinking maybe it's time to upgrade to a new one. But which model? The choices are slim nowadays but the ones I liked were the Tablo models and the TiVo models. In the past I liked dealing with Channel Master but they don't make DVR's anymore. They do sell the TiVo Edge Antenna DVR though and you can get it with their All-In Service with no recurring monthly fees that TiVo usually charges. BUT...The price was $449! Pretty steep!

I started watching the Channel Master site almost daily for a sale and noticed they were discounting it to $349 recently. Not bad but still a good bit of money. Then about 2 weeks ago I received an Email that they knocked off another $100 while supplies last so I jumped on the $249 price.

The TiVo Edge came 2 days ago and I set it up easily and quickly. It seemed to me to be very similar to the Channel Master DVR+ but a little more advanced with more functions. The Guide works great and goes out to about 2 weeks in advance to set up recordings. One downside is that the storage capacity is only 500gb instead of the DVR+ 1TB. That should not be a problem for us as we are pretty good about deleting programs that we have watched or don't want anymore but some may find the storage capacity too small.

The TiVo Edge from Channel Master comes with a paper saying it's important to call TiVo support to request transferring the All-In Service Plan from Channel Master to your own personal TiVo account. Since it's the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend I have not done that yet but will do it next week when they're open for business.

So far the TiVo Edge works well and is operating pretty much the way I expected. I'll write an update after I call them to transfer the Service Plan and/or if I have any other issues that come up.

Update:

I called TiVo yesterday and transferred the service plan from Channel Master to myself. The only information that I had to give them was my phone number and the TSN number from the bottom of the DVR. After giving them that information they put me on hold for less than 5 minutes and the transfer was complete. Apparently all of of my other information was supplied to them by Channel Master. Easy Peasy as my friend Kim Komando would say. 👍

Current OTA Channel Lineup 4_4_2022

 

Here's our Channel Master DVR+ OTA channel lineup with current antenna rotation.

2.1 ~ KDKA (CBS affiliate)

2.2 ~ KDKA Start TV (television drama series from the 1980s through the 2000s)

2.3 ~ Dabl (lifestyle-oriented TV)

2.4 ~ FAVE (Paramount repeat syndicated sitcoms)

4.3 ~ WTAE (ABC affiliate) (North Hills translator/repeater for a better signal)

4.4 ~ WTAE (THIS TV Network) (North Hills translator/repeater for a better signal)

8.1 ~ WWCP (FOX Affiliate) Johnstown PA

8.2 ~ WWCP (ABC Affiliate) Johnstown PA Simulcast of WATM-TV Channel 23.1

8.3 ~ TheGrio (news, opinion, entertainment and video content geared toward African Americans)

8.4 ~ Antenna TV (classic television series)

11.1 ~ WPXI (NBC Network affiliate)

11.2 ~ WPXI (MeTV - "Memorable Entertainment" TV) classics from the 1950s through the 1980s

11.3 ~ WPXI (LAFF TV) specializes in comedy programming

12.1 ~ REV’N TV (Classic Automotive TV)

12.2 ~ Action TV(Sports, Fishing, Racing Etc.)

12.3 ~ Family TV (Cooking, Biographies, Movies)

12.4 ~ AceTV (classics\ TV from the 1950s through the 1980s)

12.5 ~ RightNW (action-packed, bleeding edge TV shows )

12.6 ~ YouToo (Comedy, Cooking & Travel, Green & Healthy Living, Home & DIY, Lifestyle

12.7 ~ AMGTV (off-network and first-run syndication programming)

12.8 ~ FunRoads TV (Road Trips)

12.9 ~ AllSports TV (sports-related programming)

12.10 ~ Weather Nation TV

12.11 ~ AmVoice TV (24/7 News and Entertainment)

12.12 ~ NewsNet TV (24/7 Headline News)

16.1 ~ ION TV - national television network featuring general entertainment & movies

16.2 ~ Bounce network (Older movies and TV shows directed mostly to African Americans)

16.3 ~ Court TV

16.4 ~ Mystery TV (crime stories to haunting horror tales)

16.5 ~ Defy TV (daring and bold reality tv shows)

16.6 ~ Tru TV (crime-themed programs)

16.7 ~ Newsy TV

19.1 ~ WPCW (CW network) Formally UPN & WB. Various original & rerun programming.

19.2 ~ H&I (Heros and Icons) focus on westerns, crime dramas, sci-fi, and action programming.

19.3 ~ GRIT - classic TV series and films targeted at men between the ages of 25 and 55 years old.

19.4 ~ Circle TV (Country Music)

19.5 ~ TheGrio (news, opinion, entertainment and video content geared toward African Americans)

22.1 ~ WPNT (myTV network) mostly syndicated programming

22.2 ~ Stadium (All Sports Network) Mostly College Sports

22.3 ~ Comet TV - Science Fiction programming from MGM

22.4 ~ Get TV - Pre-80's programming from Sony

53.1 ~ WPGH (FOX affiliate)

53.2 ~ ANTENNA TV - classic television series from the 1950s to the early 2000s

53.3 ~ Charge! TV – action and adventure-based programming sourced primarily from the MGM

61.1 ~ Decades TV

61.2 ~ Movies! TV - Older feature films

61.3 ~ BUZZR – Classic game shows

61.4 ~ SBN - Sonlife Broadcasting Network - Christian Programming

69.1 ~WPTG - (THIS TV) MGM movies, classic television series and children's programming

69.2 ~ GET TV - Pre-80's programming from Sony

69.3 ~ Retro TV - sitcoms and drama series from the 1950s through the 1980s

69.4 ~ Newsnet (24/7 Headline News)

69.5 ~ True Crime TV

69.6 ~ Heartland TV

100.2 ~ Stadium TV (Sports)

101.3 ~ Comet TV (Science Fiction programming)

102.4 ~ ( Fear Factor, Pranks etc.)

The Death of Cable TV is in Sight

GCI says to get with the times, it needs to drop its cable TV platform in favor of streaming.

"Alaska’s largest telecommunications company is phasing out its cable TV service in Anchorage and other urban areas in the state, in line with changing habits as viewers increasingly stream their shows over the internet from companies like Netflix or Hulu."

Link for Full Story

Comcast Raising Prices, Fees In January 2021

 Of course they are.

"Comcast will raise the average price on program packages by 3.2 percent in January 2021, as well as implement a regional sports channel fee hike of $2 a month and a Broadcast TV fee increase of up to $4.50 a month, depending upon the market..."

https://tvanswerman.com/2020/11/24/comcast-raising-prices-fees-in-january-2021/

 

As an example of their high prices my MIL's highest utility by far is Comcast at $169.84/mo. ($2,242.08/yr) for rather basic cable & a low speed internet. That's just outrageous! She typically just watches network TV & looks at photos of her grandchildren on FB on an iPad. We've been to the Comcast store multiple times with her trying to reduce the bill but they say it's at the lowest she can go. She's a captive to Comcast as she lives in a condo with only Comcast available and no way to use an antenna as the building is made of reinforced concrete and she's in the shadow of a hillside. 

$2,242.08 per year and rising in a few weeks is elder abuse in my opinion. They need to be investigated by congress but it will probably never happen as they have powerful lobbyists in DC paying them all off.

It Was a Good Decision

Indeed it was a good decision to cut the cord 11 years ago. Have saved many thousands of dollars.

 

Kill The Cable Bill dot com

I was asked today to take a look at https://www.killthecablebill.com/

Lots of good information and reviews for saving money on cable bills.

They've just published an interesting consumer's guide to streaming services so check it out when you get a chance.

https://www.killthecablebill.com/tv/stream/?off

Locast in Sacramento

For our friends in Northern CA...

Locast announced its 29th market today, bringing more than 60 local TV channels to the over 4 million residents in the. Sacramento area. Locast will be available in Sacramento, Stockton, and Modesto, just in time for the Big Game this weekend.

Locast offers local broadcast TV via the internet for free, though the service will frequently ask for a $5 donation until that donation is set up by the user. Locast says that offering the channels is a public service “giving access to important local news, storm coverage, emergency information, COVID health and safety updates, election coverage, sports, and entertainment programming to internet-connected devices.”

The channels now available via Locast in the Sacramento area include: KCRA NBC 3, KTXL FOX 40, KXTV ABC 10, KOVR CBS 13, Univision, PBS and PBS Kids, as well as Azteca America, CourtTV, Mystery, MeTV, TrueCrime, QUBO, Telemundo, Circle, The CW, BOUNCE, Movies!, LAFF, COMET, MyNetworkTV, ION, GRIT, Charge!, and more.

The service is accessible to viewers in 16 counties in the Sacramento DMA including Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Sierra, Solano East, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba.

Locast now has over 2.3 million registered users in its available markets across the US. Visit locast.org for more information.

Link:  https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/locast-launches-its-local-tv-service-in-sacramento/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1977141&tid=2713901&cid=

Almost Half of All Pay-TV Customers Are Likely to Cut the Cord This Year

 

A new report by Parks Associates reveals that it’s likely 43% of all broadband households in the U.S. paying for traditional TV will switch to streaming options within the next 12 months. The main reason? Cable is too expensive. There’s big incentive for TV subscribers to cut the cord in favor of Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributors like Hulu + Live, YouTube TV, Sling, and more, with cost being just one of the reasons.

The Parks research shows that 17% of vMVPD subscribers are relative newcomers who jumped the traditional Pay TV ship within the last 12 months. Some of their main reasons for making the switch in addition to price include the appeal of the flexibility vMVPDs offer by providing targeted package options on a variety of platforms.

Recent cord cutters also cite switching in order to watch specific channels or programs they couldn’t get with their traditional pay TV package. With dozens of new streaming-only shows and movies being released all the time, it’s obvious people want to be in on the popular originals that come with streaming services and packages.

Plus, people who made the switch in the last 12 months also say there were too many channels they didn’t watch on regular TV to justify paying for it.

“Subscriber losses in traditional pay TV continue, while the vMVPD category continues to grow, thanks to consumer price sensitivity and preferences for platform flexibility,” said Paul Erickson, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates. “Traditional pay-TV operators have online delivery in their roadmaps, if not already deployed. We expect vMVPDs will continue to grow dramatically and will gradually become the dominant offering in the pay-TV landscape.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/almost-half-of-all-pay-tv-customers-are-likely-to-cut-the-cord-this-year/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1952959&tid=2680994&cid=

Comcast Data Caps Coming

Beginning in January, Comcast will introduce its 1.2 TB data cap on Xfinity Internet plans, including those in states where Comcast previously did not have a cap.

“Stop the Cap” first spotted the notice from Comcast which will impact those in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia on January 1, 2021. Comcast previously did not have a data cap on plans in these states where Verizon Fios is a competitor.

To help customers get used to the newly implemented cap on their internet data, Comcast will give credit for overage charges accrued during January and February. After that introductory period, customers will have 1.2TB of internet data usage per month. If customers go over that limit, 50GB blocks will be added automatically at $10 each. The maximum monthly overage charge customers will receive is $100. Data does not roll over month to month...

 

Source:

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/comcast-is-introducing-a-data-cap-in-northeast-states/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1749445&tid=2410641&cid=

Comcast Increases Prices Again

Comcast customers are receiving notices that their TV and internet prices are going up...
With this price hike, customers will see their Broadcast TV Fee increase by around $5 per month, from $11.70 to $16.20. TV Box fees for those who are using Comcast equipment will go up by $2.50 per month, from $5 to $7.50. Prices for basic and premium TV packages will be increasing, along with the prices of several on demand subscription services including AMC + On Demand, WEtv + On Demand, and UP Faith and Family On Demand.
Along with cable prices increasing, Comcast is increasing the cost of internet. All packages are going up by $3/month, with the exception of xFi Advantage which is going up by $5/month.
Finally, installation fees are going up from $70 to $100 and Xfinity Home Security prices are increasing by $10 per month.
According to the Important Information Regarding Xfinity Services and Pricing notice from Comcast, the new prices will go into effect on January 1, 2021.
The price list including all changes, shared by a Reddit user, is shown below.

 

 

Source:
https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/comcast-will-raise-cable-internet-prices-in-january-2021/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1749445&tid=2410641&cid=
 

Comcast Strikes Yet Again - Part 2

Comcast Strikes Yet Again - Part 2

So after Nancy stewed all night over not being able to straighten out her mothers Comcast TV situation  she called them back promptly the next day (yesterday).
First, after being on hold for quite some time, she was answered by an IT tech person who really couldn't help at all. He directed her call to another agent who had a hard time trying to figure out what had transpired with the original call that her mother made for IT help on Monday but eventually got to the bottom of it.
Basically after telling her mom how to reset her SAP back to English the agent up-sold her to a triple play package with 300+ channels and increased her internet speed from 200mbps to 600mbps. He told her that it would save her money and she wouldn't have to use the phone part of the plan. What it really did was to agree to a 2 year contract with automatic price increases each year until her monthly bill would be well over $200/month at the end of the contract!
The agent (Regina) that Nancy finally talked to apologized after she figured it out and learning her mom is 86 years old and didn't have any clue to what she was agreeing to on Monday. Regina agreed to return the plan to her old double play but Nancy countered with... how about if we lower the package even further to 120 channels as my mom doesn't watch many channels at all. Regina agreed to put her on a basic plan and the price is supposed to be $150/month now. That's about $10 lower than it originally was. Kudos to Regina as she was the nicest person to talk to in maybe....ever.
It will be interesting to see the exact monthly cost that her mom is billed for, the channels that she will now get and the speed her internet will be.

It makes me happy to have only an antenna, Sling & "free" Netlix through T-mobile.

Comcast Strikes Yet Again

Comcast Strikes yet again.

Ever since Nancy’s father died a few years ago, Nancy has taken over her moms finances and bills as her mom never had to pay the bills when her Dad was alive and is totally confused by them.
Nancy also reviews all of her moms emails as her 86 year old mom is quite computer illiterate. Today as she checked her moms emails she noticed an email from Comcast that said something like “Thank you for upgrading your service”. She looked at the online account for her moms condo and sure enough the plan has changed.
She called her mom and asked if she did anything that would change the plan. Her mom said she was having trouble with some TV channels sound being in Spanish instead of English so she called Comcast to see if they could fix it (Didn’t want to bother Nancy). Her mother being very hard of hearing and not having any understanding whatsoever of how digital service “plans” work somehow agreed to switch her plan from a double play to a triple play with more TV channels and some kind of added equipment that their web site didn’t explain. They also added a new 2 year contract.
So, Nancy went over to her moms condo to call Comcast back and have them explain what they did. After being on hold for a very long time she finally got an agent that said the plan indeed was changed to triple play and that her mom would no longer need Verizon landline service. That makes no sense as her mom gets Verizon landline service entirely free as her Dad was a retired Bell Telephone engineer. It’s part of their retirement package.
When Nancy questioned why they would up-sell her mom to triple play when she was just calling for them to help her change the language back to English on her TV the agent became condescending and started spouting off about it being cheaper after a few billing cycles and basically shut the conversation down as it was becoming after normal business hours.
So there you have it. Comcast taking advantage of the elderly again.
Nancy is rather irate and said she will be calling them back tomorrow.
In my opinion and knowing how shitty Comcast treats it's customers, that’s a waste of time as they know her moms condo units only have Comcast TV & internet service available and the Triple Play upgrade was already put into effect with the new 2 year plan. Legally you have 3 days to back out of a contract but good luck with that as they'll stonewall her long enough for that time-frame to pass.
Stay tuned.

I saw this story about cord cutting and my thoughts are that too many people are "cutting the cord" and then buying too many add on services. All you really need is a good antenna and maybe one or two streaming services. My favorites are Sling and Netflix.

Here's our cost breakdown:
Antenna = zero cost per month after initial installation of about $100.
Verizon Fios internet 75mbps = $57.99/month (we've had no issues with speed)
Sling Blue = $30/month
Netflix = $8.99/month but is included for "free" with our T-mobile cell phone account.

So our monthly cost is $87.99

Our Rebuttal to ABC’s Latest Anti–Cord Cutting Story

By Luke Bouma on February 8, 2020 at 6:07 am CDT in All News, News

ABC just can’t seem to help but attack cord cutting. As cord cutting grows, we are increasingly seeing more attempts to slow it down. This time it comes from an ABC affiliate owned by Grey Television with the title “ABC 12 investigates cutting the cable cord: is it worth it?”
So, let’s break down this post and why cord cutting is still really worth it.

Issue #1 Internet Is Not an Exclusive Cord Cutting Cost
One of the main arguments of the ABC story is the fact that you need Internet. According to this story, Internet will cost about $45 a month. Plus, they worry about the $14 modem fee or the cost to buy your own modem.
The truth here is even with cable TV most Americans still want home Internet. This idea that if you had cable TV you wouldn’t need home Internet is weak. Most cable TV subscribers also have Internet for gaming, streaming, or just surfing the web.

Issue #2 Overstating the Cost of Cord Cutting

One common tactic many anti–cord cutting stories use is to overstate the cost of cord cutting. For example, multiple studies have shown that cord cutters subscribe to four or fewer streaming services. Yet ABC pushes this idea that you need so many different streaming services that it will add up to more than cable TV.
Many of these stories push the idea that you will need every service. According to our readers and other research groups, most cord cutters subscribe to less than four streaming services. When we surveyed our readers, more than 91% of them pay for four or fewer services and more than 70% of them pay for three or fewer services.
Plus, ABC included Internet as an exclusively cord cutting expense, pushing the idea the cable TV customers don’t need home Internet.

Issue #3 Claiming Cable Will Give You All the Content You Want

I find this to be the biggest issue with this story. According to ABC, if you went back to cable TV’s basic package you would happily give up Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and more. Yet the cable TV package they use does not include most of the content from these services. For example, the Disney Channel won’t give you the content that will stream on Disney+.

Would you really give up Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon? Most cable TV subscribers wouldn’t! Over half of all cable TV subscribers also pay for a streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon. Now you have to add that cost on top of the cost of cable TV.
So, would you really give up Stranger Things and The Handmaid’s Tale to go back to cable? What about HBO and Starz? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Final Thoughts
According to Spectrum, the average cable TV and Internet customer pays over $180 a month. So, even if you accept that all of these services would be needed with cord cutting it would still save cable TV customers $55 a month compared to what the average Spectrum Internet and TV customer pays. Even with a $45 home Internet bill you can still save a lot of money with streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.

Finally, do your own research and decide if cord cutting is right for you. Don’t take my word for it and definitely don’t take the word of stories like this one from ABC to make your decision. We suggest you check out our Cord Cutting Beginners Guide to help you decide if cord cutting is right for you.

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/our-rebuttal-to-abcs-latest-anti-cord-cutting-story/ 

Comcast Lost 149,000 More TV Subscribers

Comcast Lost 149,000 TV Subscribers in 4th Quarter 2019

"Well, it looks like the bad news for cable TV keeps flooding in as once again a major provider is reporting a drop in pay-TV subscribers. This time the drop comes from Comcast who today reported losing 149,000 residential video subscribers in the 4th quarter 2019 with its Xfinity TV service. This comes as Comcast just lost 238,000 TV subscribers in the 3rd quarter of 2019.
Overall though Comcast’s revenue increased 2% to $28.4 billion compared to 2018. Comcast says this growth came from high-speed internet, business services, wireless and other revenue. Comcast did see advertising, video, and voice revenue fall in the 3rd quarter of 2019.
Comcast also saw a jump of 442,000 high-speed Internet customers. Comcast is facing strong headwinds in its traditional pay-TV market. With a growing field of live TV services including new entries from Hulu, YouTube TV, and Sling. It will be interesting to see how Comcast moves to address this ever-changing market."


They're getting what they deserve with their rude customer service and ever increasing prices.


https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/comcast-lost-149000-tv-subscribers-in-4th-quarter-2019/

Pittsburgh-Area Stations Removed from Cable Providers

Some Pittsburgh-area cable subscribers expecting to view local news on New Year’s Day won’t see it on WPXI-TV or Pittsburgh Cable News Channel — depending on who their provider is.
In a statement released early Wednesday morning, Cox Media Group, which owns WPXI, said that “after weeks of negotiations, Verizon has unexpectedly decided to remove WPXI-Pittsburgh from its services.”
Cox added that it participated in “multiple points of negotiation” with Verizon to prevent disruptions, to no avail.
The media conglomerate said that it will continue negotiating “in good faith” with Verizon.
Cox is urging WPXI customers to contact Verizon directly at 1-800-837-4966.
The announcement comes directly off the heels of WPXI’s late Tuesday announcement that Comcast has decided to drop Pittsburgh Cable News Channel (PCNC) from its lineup, starting Wednesday.
The station said that Comcast informed Cox on Monday “without any prior warning” that it would halt distribution of PCNC to Comcast customers as of midnight Tuesday.
“We at WPXI and PCNC are very disappointed with the disruption and inconvenience to Comcast viewers that will result from Comcast’s actions, but we were informed of Comcast’s decision less than 48 hours ago,” Kevin Hayes, vice president and general manager for WPXI and PCNC, said in a statement. “Our priority is serving our viewers and our agreements with other distributors will remain in place. We will continue to produce content for PCNC and service to those viewers will not be interrupted.”
WPXI said that it has offered Comcast an extension, including a temporary one that would avoid interruptions while terms were worked out, but “Comcast has refused all such offers while failing to respond with a counterproposal.”
Comcast has refused to reconsider its position, according to WPXI.
The station warned that Comcast’s “arbitrary” decision could “have an impact on public safety,” noting that PCNC customers are now denied of local and regional weather reports.
Officials at Comcast were not immediately available for comment.


https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/pittsburgh-area-stations-removed-from-cable-providers/?fbclid=IwAR2ETfjAH8fDGo9rQlNY4XR4rjFc6l9cacacCWCY8AUFxwaE0XpV8wloEOI

Sling TV Raises Their Price But Adds New Channels

Today Sling TV raised their prices by $5/month, along with adding Fox News to the Sling Blue lineup and moving MSNBC from the news add-on to the core Sling Blue package for $30 a month. Big Ten Network (BTN) will launch on Sling TV ahead of the 2020-21 college football season.
Sling Orange and Sling Blue now cost $30/month each (up from $25/month) and the price of the combination of Sling Orange + Sling Blue is now $45/month (up from $40/month). The Total TV add-on is also increasing by $5, making it $25/month (up from $20/month). This is the first price increase subscribers have seen for Orange Blue. Sling Orange last saw a price increase in June 2018.
This is the statement Sling TV made following today’s price increase and channel update. “Sling customers have been clear: they want more live news and sports, and they want a cloud DVR included at purchase – and we listened,” said Warren Schlichting, executive vice president and group president, Sling TV. “Over the past five years, we have proven our dedication to making Sling an exceptional value with unmatched flexibility. These announcements today are further proof points that Sling is the premier live streaming service.”
Sling TV has made several updates lately, including making limited DVR space available to all users. The DVR was automatically added to all accounts late last week. Sling has also been adding new channels to add-on packages, including Law & Crime, available in News Extra, and Pursuit and Great American Country, available in Heartland Extra.
“Sling TV delivers unmatched value in streaming, while maintaining the flexibility and choice our customers know and love,” said Schlichting. “We have worked hard to maintain stable pricing, even as we have added more content and more features.”

There are even more current and upcoming changes for Sling TV’s add-on packages:

• FXM will launch into Sling Blue Hollywood Extra, which will also add FXX, including the linear feed.
• Nat Geo Wild is joining Sling Blue Heartland Extra, including the linear feed.
• Sling Orange recently launched Longhorn Network and ACC Network to the service’s Sports Extra.

Some add-on packages will also see price changes:

• Sports Extra is now $15 per month with a subscription to both Sling Orange and Sling Blue. If you’re subscribed to only Sling Orange or Sling Blue alone, the price of the add-on will remain $10.
• The 4 Extras Deal is now $12 per month.
• 
  

Earlier this month, the streaming service also added DVR support for ESPN channels and removed DVR restrictions. This means you can now pause, rewind or fast-forward through any recorded programs, and even skip the commercials. Previously, recordings on select channels would automatically redirect viewers to on-demand content, if available.
You can find the full, updated list of channels for both Sling Orange and Sling Blue HERE.


https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/sling-tv-has-added-fox-news/

Pluto TV Now Has 247 Free Channels & Thousands of On-Demand Titles

Recently Pluto TV has been adding new channels bringing it’s total channel count to 247, all of them free. This is up from just over 200 Pluto TV channels back in September 2019. This comes as Viacom has recently been adding a growing amount of Viacom and non-Viacom content to Pluto TV.
So what is Pluto TV? Pluto TV is a free streaming TV service with over 240 channels. With the Pluto app, you’ll get news, sports, movies, TV shows, viral videos, cartoons, and more. The streaming service offers from on-demand content but focuses heavily on live TV.
Here are all the channels Pluto TV currently offers: 
Movies

• Pluto TV 007
• TV Spotlight
• Pluto TV Movies
• Pluto TV Movies 2
• TV Action
• TV Comedy
• TV Romance
• TV Drama
• TV Horror
• TV Terror
• TV Thrillers
• Black Cinema
• TV Documentaries
• TV Indies
• Paramount Movie Channel
• CMT Westerns
• Classic Movies
• 80’s Rewind
• TV Cult Films
• Flicks of Fury
• The Asylum
• Gravitas Movies

Seasons Greetings

• TV Christmas
• TV Mistletoe
• Fireplace
• Holiday Lights
• MTV Mistle YO!
• Vevo Holiday

Entertainment

• MTV Pluto TV
• MTV Dating
• MTV Teen
• ET LIVE
• VH1 I Love Reality
• VH1 Hip Hop Family
• BET Pluto TV
• BET Her Pluto TV
• BET Homecoming
• Spike Pluto TV
• Spike Outdoors
• American Gladiators
• Baywatch
• TVLAND Drama
• TV Animals
• Crime Network
• DocuTV
• CMT Pluto TV
• TV Celebrity
• TV Reality
• TV Lives
• Nosey
• Fuse
• Complex
• Awesomeness TV
• Degrassi
• British TV
• Classic TV
• Buzzr
• Shout! TV
• Classic Toons

NEWS

• TV Election 2020
• Today’s Top Story
• TV News
• NBC News
• CBSN
• CBSN New York
• CBSN Los Angeles
• CNN
• The First
• Today
• WeatherNation
• Bloomberg Television
• Cheddar News
• Top Stories By Newsy
• Newsmaxtv
• TYT Network
• Sky News
• RT America
• Court TV

Binge Watch

• The Addams Family
• MTV Guy Code
• MTV The Hills
• Love and Hip Hop VH1
• The Challenge MTV
• Black Ink Crew VH1
• Rupauls Drag Race VH1
• Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders CMT
• Unsolved Mysteries
• Forensic Files
• The New Detectives
• Cold Case Files
• Fear Factor
• Leverage
• Criss Angel Mindfreak
• Dog The Bounty Hunter
• Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen Uncensored
• Wahlburgers
• WPT
• This Old House
• Antiques Roadshow UK
• Doctor Who Classic
• Midsomer Murders
• Wipeout
• MST3K
• Rifftrax

Comedy

• Comedy Central Pluto TV
• Comedy Central Stand-Up
• Wild N Out MTV
• Crank Yankers Comedy Central
• TVLAND Sitcoms
• Funny AF
• Stand UP TV
• Cats 24/7
• Dogs 24/7
• The Pet Collective
• Internet Gold
• Fail Army
• The ONION

Sports

• Pluto TV Sports
• Fox Sports
• NFL Channel
• Major League Soccer
• Stadium
• TV Surf
• TV Winter Sports
• RedBull TV
• Pursuit UP
• Fight
• Glory Kickboxing
• IMPACT! Wrestling
• Sportsgrid
• Eleven Sports
• Big Sky Conference
• UM

Explore

• TV Cars
• TV History
• TV Biography
• TV Military
• TV Conspiracy
• TV Travel
• Adventure TV
• Voyager Documentaries
• Naturevision TV
• Chassy
• THC
• Eye Candy
• SLOW TV

Life + Style

• Food TV
• Lively Place
• Frontdoor
• Cribs MTV
• TV Her
• TV Her Dramas
• Logo Pluto TV
• Are you The One MTV
• TV Weddings
• Faith TV
• TBN
• Hillsong Channel
• People TV
• Revry

Tech + Geek

• TV Scifi
• TV Science
• TV Tech
• TV Gamer
• 4K TV
• Naruto
• Anime All Day
• Cnet
• IGN
• Geek Sundry
• NASA TV
• Minecraftv
• Gameplay Roblox

Kids

• TV Family
• TV Kids Animation
• Nick Pluto TV
• Nick Jr. Pluto Tv
• Nick Movies
• Nick Games
• Totally Turtles Nick
• Dora TV Nick
• TV Tween
• Tv Kids
• After School Cartoons
• Anime All ages
• Pocket.watch

Latino

• Pluto TV 007 En espanol
• TV Cine Estelar
• TV Peliculas
• TV Cine
• TV Cine Accion
• TV Cine Terror
• TV Investiga
• Spike Aventura
• Dog El cazarrecompensas
• TV Realities En Espanol
• TV Cocina
• TV Mundo
• TV Naturaleza
• TV Novelas
• Telenovelas Clasicas
• Nick Latino
• Nick Jr. Latino
• MTV Latino
• Comedy Central Latino
• TV Brasil
• Combate World
• Lucha Libra AAA

Music

• Pluto TV
• Live Music Replay
• Monstercat
• MTV Biggest POP
• YO! MTV
• MTV Spankin New
• MTV Block Party
• Vevo Pop
• MainStage
• The City
• Redcup
• The Cross
• Fuego
• 70’s
• 80’s
• 90’s
• Y2k
• Dash1
• Loud
• Indie
• Doggystyle
• Electrocity
• Discover
• Alternative
• Monstercat Family
• Subdustrial
• Euphoria
• The Strip
• 11
• The Oldies
• Ratpack
• What The Funk
• The Bridge
• Moonlight
• Pure Soul
• Love
• La Isla
• Reggae King
• Cool

*Subject to change without notice.
Now look for this list of channels to grow as CBS and Viacom the parent company behind Pluto TV will be merging next week. This will likely result in more CBS content coming to Pluto TV in the months to come.


https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/pluto-tv-now-has-247-free-channels-thousands-of-on-demand-titles/