Weekend Wrap Up: Top 9 Cord Cutting Stories from This Week


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This week, we’ve seen some major video customer losses across cable companies in quarter 2 earnings reports (and a gain for one provider), a win for HBO subscribers using Amazon devices, and a new development in the theaters vs. film distribution debate. Here are some of our top stories from this week.

Cable Losses in Quarter 2

Comcast lost 477,000 TV subscribers in quarter 2, Altice lost 35,000, AT&T lost 886,000, and Verizon lost 81,000. It wasn’t a loss across the board. Charter/Spectrum reported a 102,000 TV subscriber gain for the quarter, driven by offers and programs to assist customers during the pandemic.

Read more about Comcast, Altice, AT&T, and Verizon in these posts.

RSN Refunds Could be Coming

In its quarterly earnings call, Comcast shared plans to refund customers for regional sports fees paid while the pandemic prevented live sports from airing. No word on when those refund credits would be given, how much they would be, or whether other service providers will follow suit.

Read more about Comcast RSN refunds here.

The NBA is Back

Looking for a way to watch the NBA’s restarted season? We’ve got you covered.

Check out which streaming services are carrying channels for NBA games here.

The Theatrical Window Just Got a Little Smaller

AMC and Universal have been in a monthslong dispute about how the theatrical window, or how long movies have to stay in theaters and how long studios have to wait after that theatrical run before releasing movies on-demand. This week, the two companies agreed to shrink that window.

Read more about the deal here.

More Content, Less $$$

This week, we shared some of our favorite free apps for news, weather, movies, and TV from the Roku Channel Store.

See our picks here.

You Could Go Viral, Too

Adding to the list of free Roku content we’re watching this month, we shared a few channels for watching viral videos. The list includes cute pets, amazing humans, and a couple of channels that take viewer submissions. If you’re looking for 15 minutes of internet fame, this is one way to get it.

See the channel list here.

Hidden Fees are Rising

Spectrum is once again increasing the price of its broadcast TV fee, with prices going up again on August 5, and customers are noticing the rise of this “hidden fee” on their bills. In fact, some customers have a lawsuit against the company, claiming they’re using “bait and switch” tactics.

Read all about it here.

HBO Isn’t Leaving Amazon Just Yet

After we reported that Amazon and WarnerMedia’s deal to make HBO Now available on Fire TV devices was coming to an end, the two companies came to an agreement to keep an HBO app on the platform.

Get the details of HBO’s rebranding and availability here.

The Hits Keep Coming for Cable

Last week, DISH lost 10 local stations after negotiations with Apollo Global Management about Cox stations went south. This week, DISH lost Scripp’s owned stations in 42 markets.

Read the companies’ statements here.

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