You can add one more name to a growing list of cable TV companies that will be shutting down their TV services. Mid-Rivers Communications has announced that they will be ending cable TV operations on December 31st, 2023. This comes as they say only 10% of their customers still pay for TV and that it is just not sustainable.
“As we shared with all cable TV subscribers last December, this notice serves as a reminder that Mid-Rivers plans to discontinue cable television service as of December 31, 2023. The ways customers watch video have changed greatly in the last few years. We have been forced to drop programming from the cable TV lineup, and continually raise subscriber rates to keep up with ballooning programming costs, which is likely to continue next year.” Mid-Rivers Communications said in a statement.
Mid-Rivers went on to say that: “Cable TV subscriber counts are on a steep decline as customers move to streaming video. Cable TV is a courtesy we have provided only to certain customers in select areas, while customers in all parts of our service area rely heavily on us for Internet and telephone services. Cable TV makes up only about 10 percent of the Cooperative’s active customer connections today. Traditional cable television services are no longer a sustainable option for small communities.”
To replace cable TV, Mid-Rivers encourages customers to look at streaming services like DIRECTV STREAM, Sling TV, Fubo, Hulu, and more.
Last month, WOW! announced it would also be shutting down its TV service. It partnered with YouTube TV to make switching to streaming easier.
Sparklight Cable (also known as Cable One) will also be shutting down its traditional cable TV service. Instead, customers will need to use the new Sparklight TV service, a streaming-only service that needs a device like an Apple TV or Fire Stick to work.
Increasingly a growing number of cable TV companies are deciding TV is just not profitable enough. Now they are turning to streaming options so they can focus on internet and other services.
It seems the day has come for many smaller cable TV companies that are offering TV is just not worth it.