Getting fed up with tv comment

[wynford]

I am getting very fed up with the way tv is going the past few years. They have commercials, which i understand, but for quite a while now, the channels have, what i call banner ads commercials which take up about 1/4 to 1/3 of the screen ruining what's on the screen... i, personally don't think these banners ads should be allowed. If they need more money, charge more for regular commercials and do away with these banner ones

Also, a lot of tv shows i used to watch on regular CTV are no longer there, they have been moved to CTV specialty channels which cost $6.00 each, what a rip off.... WHY CTV WHY???

I'm a senior with limited income and tv and internet are basically all i have for entertainment, it's getting to a point that when my contract is up, i am seriously considering cancelling my tv part, keeping my internet and getting Netflix or Crave.

Something has to be done with the way tv is going... banner ad commercials, moving what was once included tv shows to paid specialty channels so the networks can suck you in for more money.

[CoffeeLover]

I agree, what though gets me most is lack tv plan choices the costs etc, I'm on Limited tv plus I am on a month to month thing with my tv (2 year plan though for Bluecurve internet 300) I don't want to commit to a 2 year plan (that's why I got a regular Motorola cable box not Bluecurve as rental is free for the regular cable box whereas Bluecurve tv is a monthly rental for the Bluecurve box).....in reality tv is my main entertainment, but as my income decreases I find watching tv increases plus I watch hockey &  the fact $15 for Sportsnet theme pack is a rip off really,.....but anyway sorry my rant

[wynford]

I have basic tv and most of the channels are just plain crap... i basically watch 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, and 49... wish we could just pay for the channels we want and watch and not all this extra crap so they can meet the CRTC guide lines. Like you, tv and internet are my means of entertainment and i am sure it's the same for a lot of other SENIORS. They seem not to care about us, all they seem to care about is the all mighty buck.  Just wish that there was something the average joe could do.

[rickatk]

@wynford wrote:

I am getting very fed up with the way tv is going the past few years. They have commercials, which i understand, but for quite a while now, the channels have, what i call banner ads commercials which take up about 1/4 to 1/3 of the screen ruining what's on the screen... i, personally don't think these banners ads should be allowed. If they need more money, charge more for regular commercials and do away with these banner ones

Also, a lot of tv shows i used to watch on regular CTV are no longer there, they have been moved to CTV specialty channels which cost $6.00 each, what a rip off.... WHY CTV WHY???

I'm a senior with limited income and tv and internet are basically all i have for entertainment, it's getting to a point that when my contract is up, i am seriously considering cancelling my tv part, keeping my internet and getting Netflix or Crave.

Something has to be done with the way tv is going... banner ad commercials, moving what was once included tv shows to paid specialty channels so the networks can suck you in for more money.

---

I am very disappointed by the state of live TV. The marketing department has a strangle hold on what and how we watch our shows these days.  Banner ads on top of banners ads interrupt viewing at an alarming rate. The ratio of content v commercials is outrageous. I rarely watch live TV these days...just the news. Even then, I stopped watching CBC Newsworld - too may ads! I also dropped CBC Gem. BlueCurve offers pretty much the same CBC programming. 

Indeed the TV plans are difficult to figure out and really are designed to make consumers to pay more. Keep your old plans at all cost!  Going to an all streaming option is no cheaper but may give viewers some control over their choices. However, that comes at a programming cost too. I find the Shaw agents are very good at helping figuring out the best plans.

I don't know where Shaw programming fits in, as much of these channels are made available by content providers. Shaw is simply a broadcaster of content and sadly ads. I still flip between BlueCurve TV and Apple TV. All of my subscriptions are pretty much the same except Shaw TV offers live news and sports. Apple TV offers Apple TV + and Disney +. Other viewers in the house demand PVR and live sports. If the decision on platforms was simple and there was some restraint on my end, I suspect the TV budget would be a little smaller.

At the end of the day, I have accepted price will be the same however I go. I am happy with BlueCurve TV and would like to see Apple TV and Disney added then I could drop the little apple boxes and have an all Blue Curve solution. Have a good look at Blue Curve hardware. Shaw may be able to put a package together that you will like.

Regardless, I stay away from the ad laden live TV as much as I can.

[shaw2004]

I also am getting sick and tired of Shaw and all the blocked channels without a subscription. Every other channel I hit says subscription required. I could potentially pay $100's of dollars a month just to watch shows on tv. What other options are out there????

[mdk]

@shaw2004 -- What other options are out there?

If you are fortunate-enough to live on Salt Spring Island, or in the Greater Vancouver area, buy an external antenna, and use it to get the local "over-the-air" TV channels (CBC, CBC-French, CTV, Global, Knowledge, OMNI, CIVI, CKVU, and maybe CHEK (in Victoria) and KVOS (with 4 subchannels, from Bellingham, WA), unscrambled, for free, in High Definition. Some people call this "peasant-television" 🙂

Maybe, some of the "repeaters", e.g., Port Angeles or Sequim (both on WA's Olympic Peninsula) for Seattle-based ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/PBS.

[swansonegger]

I hear you. I have those free movies you get with Shaw. Well, I've watched all the good ones (and they were edited) I called to complain, still nothing was done. My son likes the Internet speed. I saw him do a speed test. I only get one Fox channel, 2 or 3 CTV channels.  I used to get them all with Telus. Shaw just wants our money, no customer service. And when you do get ahold of them, they pass the buck. I pay over $100 a month.......for what?  Can't watch my NFL teams play, If I had Telus I'd get them, but their Internet really sucked.  Is there anybody else out there with a better hook up?

[mdk]

@swansonegger -- physically, where are you located? 

Why should TELUS Internet "really suck" ?  Telus promotes their "Fiber Optik" network as being available in most of Canada.

Even with Shaw's "Limited TV" , you should get all the regional news, weather and programming you need with 20+ channels, including popular Canadian networks like Global, CBC, and CTV. 

If you live in the lower Vancouver Island or Greater Vancouver area, you should get KVOS (Bellingham) and ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC (Seattle), to watch the NFL games.

Have you investigated "peasant TV" -- using your own external TV antenna, to freely pick up "over-the-air" broadcasts from TV stations in your vicinity?