We all have been a part of this life-changing pandemic experience where we have been confined in our homes while fighting COVID-19 and following social distancing to keep our loved ones and us safe. In the past six months, we have delved more into self-care and money-saving tips while trying to make the most out of the plenty of time we all have. Not just has this quarantine been a time of self-realization but also a time where TV entertainment gained a lot more attention than ever. Seen as one of the best ways to spend free time while staying at home, TV watching has been on the rise. Though some seem to be satisfied and contented with their cable providers, for instance, you might have gotten a chance to explore more about the vast Spectrum channel line up that your bundle subscription has in store for you, but generally speaking, most of the cable companies have been struggling. More users are making a switch to online streaming services. So during the quarantine, there has been also an increase in cord-cutting. Consumers are not willing to pay for expensive cable TV bills when they have many streaming services offering massive online libraries at much cheaper prices. So streaming services have been soaring high and giving a tough competition to the cable TV industry. Let’s have a look at the major factors responsible for the crisis faced by the cable TV companies during COVID-19.
Pause in Live Sports
With more folks staying home and watching TV, the streaming services have indeed witnessed a boost. One of the advantages cable TV had over streaming services was live sports. During the COVID-19 outbreak, since live sports had been on a pause, it further accelerated the cord-cutting trend. So the lack of live sports in the U.S. has been a major drawback for cable companies. Until live sports returns completely, cable TV providers might suffer as the cord-cutting paces.
No technical Assistance to Your Door
Thus the current situation has posed important challenges to cable providers. The population staying at home is watching TV more and wants better entertainment at cheaper rates. In this time, it has also been challenging for the cable companies, to acquire new customers because of the pandemic. Especially considering the fact that the technical team cannot get home because of the social distancing for any professional help needed with the installation. Thus people have been more inclined towards subscribing for online streaming services.
Moreover, in case of any technical errors or faults, technicians cannot come to your home to fix the issue so self-isolating TV addicts can suffer if anything goes wrong with their cable connection.
Internet Traffic Issues
When it comes to cable internet services provided by cable companies, there have been issues regarding the growing internet traffic. Since all professionals are working from home, therefore the broadband networks seem quite overloaded. This in turn has affected the network speed and performance. Cable providers like Spectrum, Cox or Comcast have been dealing with the situation profoundly and trying to improve their network coverage even further to meet the rising demands. Many big cable providers stepped forward to help people struggling with internet connectivity issues by offering cheaper plans or even free internet access, especially for students. Efforts are being made to strengthen the residential internet and communication networks that are not much used to of bearing such strain and massive traffic during the normal situation.
Wrapping Up,
The major cable companies of the United States have lost as many as two million subscribers and cord-cutting is still pacing. The aforementioned factors highlight the main factors involved in the challenges confronted by these cable providers amidst this global pandemic. Sports bars, restaurants, and other public spots being closed during the coronavirus pandemic had also shut down their cable TV and internet subscription which also added to the loss of subscribers for cable companies. TV distributors who were already facing a decline in business with the advent of the rising trend of online streaming, have suffered more during the lockdown.
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