As surely as the autumn leaves change, things will change!
Home Media Magazine asked Six Questions to Anthony Wood, Founder of Roku, two years ago. At that time, the streaming market was just in its infancy, and his upstart media player that enabled Netflix to play on your TV set for just $115 was not yet key to subscription video on demand models, let alone boutique models like Amazon, which were not even on anyone’s radar.
Since that time, Roku has added hundreds of public and private channels, and has developed several different streaming devices that play back content at various quality levels. They have also sold more than 2.5 million devices (with the price having dropped), and they are now considered the #1 streaming media player despite the popularity of Apple TV.
Probably the most controversial (and most wanted) statement that Wood has made is that “he believes a major cable operator could begin offering separate a-la-carte programming via over-the-top internet services outside the typical bundled subscription as early as this year.” Of course, this would mean huge savings for consumers who are paying through the nose for subscription cable or satellite TV subscriptions. But right now, complete cord cutting seems to be risky with internet data caps, as noted by this article.
Clearly, right now shaving your cable to a bare bones subscription and supplementing with streaming services is the rule of the day if you watch a lot of TV (if you don’t, by all means, cut that cord!). In order to make the best decision, make sure you find good resources that help you leave no stones unturned. Streaming Services Compared analyzes all the services so that you know exactly what you are getting into.
