Cutting the TV cord? Call the anti-cable guy
Businesses spring up to help viewers over the technical hurdles of
TV alternatives
*By Sophia Harris**
**CBC News **
**
**Mar 24, 2015 8:33 AM ET *
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/cutting-the-tv-cord-call-the-anti-cable-guy-1.3005946
Technically challenged viewers yearning to cut the cord are seeking out
hired hands to do the job.
*Technically challenged viewers yearning to cut the cord are seeking out
hired hands to do the job. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg) *
Photo of Sophia Harris
*By Sophia Harris*
CBC Business reporter
Sophia Harris has worked as a CBC video journalist across the country,
covering everything from the start of the annual lobster fishery in
Yarmouth, N.S., to potash prices in Saskatchewan. She now has found a
good home at the business unit in Toronto where she produces for the
national news and writes and shoots and edits video for CBC.ca.
Related Stories
* Cord-cutting continues as Canadians ditch TV & landlines
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/cord-cutting-continues-as-canadians-ditch-tv-landlines-1.2601373>
* CRTC rules cable companies must offer pick-and-pay channels, $25
basic package
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/crtc-rules-cable-companies-must-offer-pick-and-pay-channels-25-basic-package-1.3001370>
* Pick-and-pay TV: Consumer choice, but at what cost?
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/pick-and-pay-tv-consumer-choice-but-at-what-cost-1.3002418>
* U.S. Netflix accessed by 1/3 of anglophone Canadian users
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/u-s-netflix-accessed-by-1-3-of-anglophone-canadian-users-1.2708944>
* Netflix upholds geoblocking rules amid reports of crackdown
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/netflix-upholds-geoblocking-rules-amid-reports-of-crackdown-1.2889895>
The cable guy has a new competitor: the anti-cable guy. He helps you cut
the cord on traditional television services and hooks you up with
alternatives.
Most Canadians still watch cable or satellite TV. However, cord-cutting
is catching on as more people seek potentially cheaper and more
versatile viewing options.
But not everyone has the technical chops to break with tradition.
So enter the cord-cutting consultant, a hired hand who does the job for
you. It’s a small but growing business model fuelled by expanding
viewing options in the digital age.
'Your nerdy best friend'
Sean Whitehead started his cord-cutting business last year to monetize
what he had already been doing for free: setting up online video
streaming services for technically challenged friends and family who
yearned to cut the cord.
He likens his Toronto company, Kutko Canada <http://www.kutko.ca/>, to
"your nerdy best friend."
The service begins with a visit from a "cord consultant" who assesses a
customer’s TV habits and wish-list.
"Cutting the cord is a very personal process," Kutko explains on its
website.
The consultant then installs the necessary hardware and most often sets
up customers with a variety of online video streaming services that suit
their needs. The fee is $125 excluding equipment.
Whitehead says he’s already served about 200 customers. He claims he’s
cut down customers’ TV bills, on average, by 40 to 60 per cent.
"Once they see the amount of content that’s on those [streaming]
services and the amount of money they’re paying, their eyes light
up." He adds, "I’ve had people say, 'I was home all weekend and I
binged-watched so much content.'"
To give his customers wide variety, Whitehead also helps people access
foreign streaming services like Sling TV in the U.S. and Netflix from
the U.S., the U.K. and Mexico.
"I’ve helped families that are Russian access content through Russian
iTunes," he adds.
Virtually crossing borders to use streaming services violates many
companies' terms of service, including those set by Netflix
<https://www.netflix.com/TermsOfUse#limitations>.
"We employ industry standard measures to prevent this kind of
use," Netflix told CBC News in an email.
However, the practice of streaming content beyond borders is widespread
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/u-s-netflix-accessed-by-1-3-of-anglophone-canadian-users-1.2708944>.
"None of those companies really enforce … terms of service," claims
Whitehead.
--
=================================================
George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923
Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927
Political Science Mail: antunes at uh dot edu
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3011
_______________________________________________
Medianews mailing list
[email protected]
http://etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews_etskywarn.net
