Cable TV

It isn't exactly a secret that streaming services and the cable cutters who are using them are hurting cable providers here in the US. A new survey from TiVo, however, suggests that things may only get worse for those cable providers if they don't change something soon. Fueled by high prices for monthly cable subscriptions, it seems that a significant number of people are considering dropping their current cable provider within the next six month.

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The release of the final season of Doctor Who with the Doctor played by Peter Capaldi will start this Spring. According to Doctor Who Magazine, Capaldi's final episode will be the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas Special. They add, "but there's a whole series to enjoy before that!" And, of course, there's plenty of time to start speculating on who the Thirteenth Doctor will be before the end of the year!

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Apple's attempt to cut through the confusion of cable television continues, with its new TV app arriving on iPhone, Apple TV, and iPad today. Part of the iOS 10.2 release for iPhone and iPad, as well as tvOS 10.1, the TV app aims to put all of your streaming content - no matter the provider - into a single location. Along the way, Apple hopes to simplify how many login details you have to punch in too.

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Back in January, the FCC came up with a plan to reform the US's cable TV industry by "unlocking" set-top boxes, in turn allowing consumers to use devices from other companies or receive content from multiple providers. The goal is to both open the market to competitors, as well as give consumers more choices in how they browse content. The cable industry, unsurprisingly, didn't like this idea, and now, several months later, has proposed their own idea for reform.

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The eternal rivalry between comics giants Marvel and DC is once again taking another step forward, this time on the telly instead of cinemas. While there will always be a debate on who's doing better at the box office, some would contend that DC has a more solid thing going compared to Marvel's occasional Netlfix hot items. From Flash to Gotham to Supergirl, DC's super-powered characters have cemented their legacies on television. Soon you might be able to add one more with SyFy giving to go signal for a pilot episode of "Krypton", which, as you might have already guessed, is set in Superman's home world.

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It looks like Verizon may be moving away from its FiOS brand, and replacing it with an all-new cable and internet service, according to a new report from Variety. Sources have said the service will be based on a model that uses a new set-top box based on internet technologies, as opposed to existing digital cable signals. At the earliest, it sounds like Verizon may debut the service in an existing FiOS market before the end of the year.

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If you've been struggling to get online today, a widespread Comcast outage might be to blame, though the cable provider claims a restoration is underway. Subscribers across the US reported issues with their Comcast connection from early this morning, with complaints that both internet and premium cable channels weren't playing ball.

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Yesterday, a report surfaced claiming the FCC would soon propose a change involving set top boxes, and such a proposal was indeed made public today. According to the FCC, “Ninety-nine percent of pay-TV subscribers are chained to their set-top boxes because cable and satellite operators have locked up the market.” If the commission gets its way, its proposal will save consumers money currently spent on leasing boxes from providers, and will open the doors for more consumer options.

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Time Warner Cable (TWC) has announced a new trial program that will allow customers in New York City and New Jersey to use a Roku set-top box instead of the company's own cable box. The service is a new extension of the cable company's TWC TV mobile app, which let subscribers watch live TV on their devices, as long as they're connected to the home WiFi network. TWC's goal seems to be moving away from leasing cable boxes, and towards letting customers get their subscription over different apps and devices.

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Back in May, Comcast began a limited test of a mobile app that let users stream video from their smartphone to not only other phone users, but to TVs at home and the homes other subscribers. Called Xfinity Share, the app proved to be fairly popular, and now Comcast has made it available to all Xfinity customers. The app is free on both iOS and Android, and the only requirement for recipients of the stream is that they have an X1 DVR-ready set-top box.

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Comcast has revealed it's pulling its Xfinity streaming app for the Xbox 360 console on September 1st. The ISP hasn't made it clear exactly why they're killing the app, other than stating on Twitter that they're reshuffling to make "improvements to our online experience," but it's pretty obvious it was a flop in the face of the Netflix behemoth. First launched in 2012, the Xbox 360 Xfinity app was quickly criticized, especially by Netflix, for its abuse of network neutrality, as video streamed from the app didn't count towards users' data caps.

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Today a rumor suggests that Netflix will be the first place Disney's Lucasfilm will bring a live action TV show. Originally rumored for release on cable television back in 2009, this television show is one of several that may just herald the end of the traditional cable TV era. If Disney does bring a collection of Star Wars live action episodic shows to the world via Netflix instead of cable television, it'll most certainly be another nail in the coffin of the traditional model. And we've got Kimmy Schmidt to thank.

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