Big Hollywood: With cable and satellite television currently in a slow-motion death spiral, America’s left-wing entertainment titans are hoping they can fool us into subsidizing their rigged business model, even as we move online. The launch of Philo TV shows that the free market is beating these corrupt titans.
Why cut the cord, why cancel your cable or satellite package only to pay for Sling TV, which falsely advertises itself as a la carte TV, when it is just a smaller, cheaper version of cable TV. Same with DirecTV Now and Sony Playstation Vue. In all three cases, you are still paying too much money for a bunch of networks you will never watch.
Moreover, these streaming services are still hustling you. Just like with your cable or satellite package, whether you watch or not, you are still forced to subsidize leftwing networks like ESPN and CNN, still forced to fund your own destruction through your monthly bill.
Which means that a just-released streaming TV package called Philo, is a big step in the right direction.
Before we go any further, I am not a Philo customer. I have no self-interest in Philo. I do not know anyone nor have I been in contact with anyone at Philo. This is not an endorsement. All I am doing here is observing, is looking at a new product launch and talking about what it might mean for the future.
For a mere $16 a month, Philo offers 37 channels, including A&E, AMC, BET, CMT, MTV, HGTV, OWN, History, VH1, Comedy Central, and IFC. For another $4 a month you can add nine more networks for a total of 46. Basically, this is a service little different from cable TV, where you watch these channels live. The only difference is that you are streaming them over the Internet.
What makes Philo’s launch so noteworthy is that this is the first pay TV package of this sort (that I am aware of) that does not force you to pay for sports and cable news. There is no ESPN, no CNN or MSNBC. These are entertainment-only networks.
Yes, you are still subsidizing left-wing garbage like MTV and Comedy Central. But for the first time you can enjoy cable-like television without making CNN’s serial-liars and ESPN’s social justice warriors rich. read more
Not always a fan of Fox News channel but I saw no mention. Bigger fan of fox business. No mention either.
I watch some of those channels, but NEVER Comedy Central, or MTV. ESPN. NO.
Seems idiotic. No thank you.
The death knell will be when a streaming service puts up a menu of available programming with a price per ‘channel’. You want three? That’s all you pay for.
How do I sign up for just the faggot shows? Queer eye for the straight guy and the home decorators and big plate/little food cooking shows.
We got our TiVo in 2001, and I’m crazy to $pend the extra money but I like it. With some of the new streaming services you can’t skip commercials, and I estimate I’ve avoided some quarter-million ads over the years. Plus, on the TiVo, if you use cranky old software you can download most programs to your computer and keep them. Did you notice that on Philo you can’t keep programs available for more than 30 days?
I agree with Lowell.
Meanwhile, this doesn’t include ABC,CBS, etc. which are still a requirement. And no USA? Lots of original programming there. I don’t think this lineup will sell. I would love to go to a streaming plan like DirecTV Now, have not yet found one that satisfies my few requirements.
Off air antenna, purchased once for pretty cheap, gets me better network signal, hi def, than directv hidef.
Switch source on tv. Oh and it’s free other than original purchase price.
Just go to letting people pick the channels they want in a package. They don’t stream nbc, cbs etc because most would have TiVo where you get those channels locally. They do have AMC which is harder to find and that willl allow them to take on Sling for half the price.
We have not had cable or even bunny ears nigh unto 20 years now. Don’t miss it.
Very lame.
How can you compare with FREE?
If you have windows 10 there are many FREE apps that allow you to watch frontline TV shows and movies (new and old) for FREE. If a new movie is released on Friday by Sunday (2 days later) I can watch it for free over the interwebs and these apps.
ZERO commercials
ZERO “station breaks”
ZERO infomercials at certain times like all the other so called “commercial free” pay per view channels.
Finally, if you are so hooked on network TV that you cannot live without it then go spend $10 ONCE and buy an HD antenna that lets you watch network TV for FREE.
No need to spend money every month for TV or movies anymore.
i got philo free on my roku
… try Roku … http://www.roku.com
I was mistaken. the channel on roku is PLUTO. Has dozens of networks. NO extra charge either.
do y’all know who Philo was?