Satellite TV Blog and Resources

Satellite TV users: listen up! With all of the streaming options for viewing your favorite shows, satellite TV providers may become a thing of the past. Expensive contracts mean a two-year commitment and taking out a payday loan just to pay your bill. We all know satellite dishes are aesthetically unattractive, and there is also the risk of having one improperly installed, which leads to potential damage to your home. Everyone who has ever used satellite TV knows that with satellites, there is always the risk of poor reception or signal loss from bad weather, sunspots, or the dog barking too loudly (you get the point). To those who want what they want, when they want it, satellite TV can be incredibly inconvenient. But it’s probably not your only option in 2020. With so many other viewing options right at your fingertips, attaching a dish to the house is probably unnecessary. You can watch most of your favorite shows on-demand, through live TV streaming, and other options. Maybe high-speed internet isn’t an option for you just yet. Maybe you live in an area where it makes more sense to have satellite TV. Maybe you’re just old school and uneasy about separating from a satellite dish. If you find yourself in one of these scenarios, it’s still important that you do your homework first. Choose your satellite provider carefully and be sure to read the fine print on any contracts before you sign. As if those reasons weren’t enough, here are three other reasons why it may be time to switch your satellite provider in 2020. Streaming is the new wave Why wait to watch the latest episodes of your favorite shows when you can stream them on your phone, tablet, laptop, gaming system, or TV? On-demand providers are the new wave, and they’re here to stay. You can watch all of your favorite cable network shows, movie channels, and sports networks on your cell phone by simply downloading an app. Gone are the days of cables and boxes connected to your TV. We live in a culture of instant gratification. Entertainment is at your fingertips now more than ever. What better way to find it than having 24-hour instant access to shows, specials, and series? Services such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Netflix are all on-demand streaming services that charge fees for instant access. In general, the fees are less than satellite providers and they don’t require a contract. You can cancel at literally any time.  But let’s say you’re a sports fan and the idea of giving up live sports just sends shivers down your spine. Or maybe you just like the hum of a show and commercials in the background for whatever reason. If that’s the case, then there’s an option for you as well.  Services like YouTubeTV, Sling, and DirecTV Now all allow you to stream live TV to your streaming devices through your ISP’s in-home Wi-Fi connection. No cords, no boxes, and no contracts!  But if this is the route you want to take, your internet service and speeds can make or break your decision. Investigate your satellite internet service before canceling your satellite service entirely. Your connection will have to support your streaming services, and if you don’t have adequate download speeds, your shows will be constantly buffering. Each streaming service will recommend certain broadband connections to support their particular service. Without the connection support, you might be better off staying with your satellite provider. Satellite TV is being replaced in many places by on-demand streaming. Between relying on the perfect weather, contract restrictions, and needing the satellites in space to line up appropriately, it is quickly becoming the antique edition of entertainment options. Less equipment means less hassle Satellite TV comes with all kinds of wires, cables, boxes, dishes, and a headache to boot. From the waiting list for installation to the installation fees, it can be quite the hassle.  Installation requires a professional to come and mount equipment safely and securely to your house, either on the roof, decking, or another high point with no obstructions that may diminish quality. There may still be a lag time with satellite TV even without obstructions, while on-demand streaming relies solely on your internet connection.  Having said that, with streaming there’s always the nasty issue of buffering. We have all been glued to the TV with our favorite show, right at the good part, and the screen freezes with those three dots blinking that signal buffering. No option is without its flaws. Smart TVs come with on-demand streaming ready to use. HD TVs are ready to hook up to a Roku, Fire TV Stick, or gaming system with on-demand streaming apps already available.  Computers and laptops can travel with you wherever you go with your shows at your fingertips. With a few tools that you can hook up or download on your own, it’s a simple solution to the problems of satellite TV. It all boils down to cost Rumor has it that the cost of satellite TV is going to increase in 2020 due to an increase in costs to the providers. Dish and DIRECTV, two of the largest providers, have both announced price increases for satellite TV in 2020. The increases may also impact add-on packages.  If you are a current satellite TV user looking for a discount, contact your provider and ask about new package prices. Then call the competition and compare packages and prices. Be sure to ask about discounts they may be promoting for new customers. There may be discounts on bundles or a discount on your overall monthly bill. In the end, the options are limitless! Gone are the days of having one means of entertainment. We don’t have to choose between a couple of providers and just suck it up while they take what they want from our wallets and limit our options. You’re in control now more than ever. So get informed, and let the watching commence! Robyn Flint writes and researches for Loans.org and loves to binge-watch the latest ground-breaking series. Robyn is a licensed Realtor, a freelance writer, and a published author.

With the first month of 2020 behind us, life is getting back into a rhythm. With work back to normal and life settling down after the holiday season, it is no surprise that many of us are getting back into the habit of watching our favorite show each night or tuning in live to our favorite team’s game. So here is the question: How are you tuning in?  There are a number of TV watching options for those seeking to keep up. You can choose from satellite TV, cable TV, internet streaming services, etc. The big question is which of these services is going to win out during the next decade. If you were to ask the majority of millennials which of these services will continue over the years to come, they would lean towards internet streaming services. If you were to ask baby boomers and generation x, they would likely say that both provide valuable services.  Will Satellite TV survive the next decade? It is hard to say for sure. In this article, we will discuss some of the reasons that current users and industry experts believe that it will continue to be a successful industry and why others do not.   Satellite TV holds on To begin, it is important to recognize the names of the companies that are currently offering Satellite TV. The following graphic outlines the top three Satellite TV providers (according to customer reviews and overall value from data collected by Best Company) as well as the benefits and services that each provides.  If you decide to go with satellite TV, your three major choices are DISH, Comcast Xfinity, and DIRECTV (as seen in the graphic above). Each of these companies is unique, but they share a couple of things in common. They all have DVR capabilities and they all offer bundle pricing options to make them more affordable.  Often, you can bundle your satellite TV services with phone or internet services. The following bundles are offered by our top three companies:  Comcast Xfinity — Choice TV Double Play ($34.99 per month), X1 Saver Pro+ Double Play ($79.99 per month), X1 Starter Pro+ Double Play ($89.99 per month). These prices are only guaranteed for the first 12 months and are subject to a 1-year agreement. DISH — America’s Top 120 ($59.99 for TV plus $19.99 for internet per month), America’s Top 120+ ($74.99 for TV plus $19.99 for internet per month), America’s Top 200 ($84.99 for TV plus $19.99 for internet per month), America’s Top 250 ($94.99 for TV plus $19.99 for internet per month). Internet prices may vary depending on location. Prices are dependent on a 2-year agreement. DIRECTV — Select + Internet ($89.99 per month), Choice + Internet ($99.99 per month), Ultimate + Internet ($114.99 per month). The internet is provided by AT&T in these bundles. Prices are dependent on a 1-year agreement. Pros of satellite TV  To gain a better understanding of satellite TV’s success while it has been competing with streaming services, we will look into the service perks offered, minimal extra fees, high-end efficient download speeds, and the rural capabilities that its competition cannot provide to customers.  Service perks “Satellite TV offers more live programming than any other form of entertainment. Satellite TV subscriptions generally allow customers to authenticate using provider apps. Often, for the cost of a satellite TV subscription, you also get dozens of streaming services for free. An additional perk is the superior parental controls available with most satellite TV providers. Kids watching satellite TV are much safer than those that are let loose on the internet.” — Stuart Sweet, Product, Content, and Engineering teams from Signal Group When in the market for a TV provider, you should know what specific services are offered to you in each company's package. Each package will be uniquely different, but you should look for the package that will provide you with the most services for the best price. You may be surprised by what you find.  Here are some questions that you may want to ask yourself while doing your research:  Are you able to watch live programming? Are you given access to streaming services as an additional perk? How are the parental controls?  Minimal extra fees “With satellite and cable TV, you can watch as much as you want without penalty. If you’re someone who’s used to having the TV going on in the background all day, you’ll probably go over your internet provider’s data cap. That means you could get slapped with huge fines just because you filled your home with the comforting voices of the HGTV crew from your fancy, live TV streaming service.” — Rachel Oaks, TV Service Expert with CableTV.com Have you noticed that though you may be paying a low monthly fee for your streaming services, you often end up having to pay for other random service fees? Though not always the case, this is not an uncommon occurrence. As mentioned by Oaks, some internet providers will charge extra if you go over your data cap. As of February 2020, it was reported that over 190 internet service providers offer plans with data caps.  Download speeds “Not all internet providers offer fast enough download speeds to support streaming TV and some even restrict internet usage with data caps. While satellite TV isn't infallible, its high-end download speeds make it a strong option for many TV watchers in 2020.” — Oaks Have you ever found yourself watching a YouTube video or Netflix show when it suddenly stops leaving you watch the throbber (the icon that lets know that your page is loading and is not frozen) as the video loads?  One of the advantages of using satellite TV is the highly efficient download capabilities that it has. Very few forms of internet are capable of downloading at the same speed that satellite can. If you are worried about missing a touchdown or having to watch your movie in segments while waiting for it to load, you may be better served by a satellite or cable TV plan. Though more expensive than streaming services, satellite TV and cable TV will provide you with clearer images in real time.  Rural areas “Where you live might impact whether it's worth it to have satellite TV. If you live in a rural area and want live TV, satellite TV is going to be more accessible than internet streaming services.” — Morgan Taylor, Finance Expert and CMO at LetMeBank Have you ever considered that there are places that do not have easy access to internet services? Though it is 2020, there are still places even within the United States that do not have access to internet services. According to the 2019 Broadband Report from the Federal Communication Commission, there are over 19 million households that do not have access to fixed terrestrial advanced telecommunications. In rural communities, over 24 percent of the population lack access, and on tribal lands, 32 percent lack access to the internet.  In these rural areas, the best option for consumers that would like to have access to television is satellite and cable TV.  Cons of satellite TV  Now that we have talked about some of the reasons that satellite TV has been successful during the introduction of streaming services in the United States, we will look at some reasons that current industry experts feel that may decline in the coming years.  Streaming services for competition “When it comes to services that help you save money, satellite/cable TV is never on that list.” — Grant Sabatier When looking at the pricing for streaming services in comparison to satellite TV, it can be difficult to understand why people pay as much as they do. In many cases satellite TV costs a minimum of five times as much per month than basic streaming services such as Netflix, Disney Plus, and Hulu. Though basic packages from streaming services do not offer live streaming, some more expensive packages have started offering live TV.  The real question is how much live TV and/or sports do you watch? And, is that reason enough for you to want to pay more for satellite TV, or would you still get by if you only had streaming services? There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but it is one to think about. More than you need “One of the biggest downsides to satellite or cable packages is that you'll likely get more than you need. You'll inevitably pay for channels you never watch, and you'll probably end up feeling like you overpay since you don't use these channels.” — Taylor Though having lots of channels isn't necessarily a bad thing, when it comes to maintaining a budget, it can be hard to justify spending large amounts of money on a product that you only use a small portion of. It would be like buying a gallon of premium gelato and eating just one small bowl before throwing it out.  So why keep your subscription?  “This is really going to be different for most people. The number one reason is value. People confuse value with price. Satellite TV has a higher price, but a much much higher value.” — Sweet Yes, it is true, every person will have different reasons for keeping their satellite TV subscription in 2020. Stella Samuel, Team Manager at Brandnic.com suggests that you think about the following three things when making your decision:  High-quality images — If you are someone that appreciates the clarity in the images that come with Satellite TV, you may be disappointed if you switch over to streaming services as they may not be quite as nice. Versatility — There are so many channels available through Satellite TV subscriptions. You will never watch them all, but you shouldn’t be bored. Reduced interruption — With signals coming directly from your satellite dish, whether you live in an urban or rural area, you will likely experience very few signal interruptions.  When it comes down to it, your decision may not be as clear as you would like. Take some time to think about the pros and cons of satellite TV in your own life, so you can make the decision that is best for you.