Alternate TV Viewing Options

As the Cablevision/Fox talks reach their eleventh day, I want to take a few moments to be amazed at how these two companies have lost focus on the consumer. I still put my allegiance behind Cablevision as I believe that Fox deliberately scheduled their blackout to coincide with the Sports programming. I hope that Cablevision continues to stick to their guns because in a few more days, Fox will reach their deadline with Dish Network and then 14.3 million more homes will be effected by this struggle. That will increase the pressure on Fox to settle as surely their ratings will be getting hammered even more.

Yes, I know as a non-sports fan it's easy for me to take the high road here as many fans are upset at not being able to see their teams play. Heck, I'm upset that Fox preempts The Simpsons and Family Guy for Sports. I mean in this world of ever diversified cable channels, why do broadcast channels think they need to show sports on their regular channels is beyond me. But, back to my point, even as this fight threatens my ability to watch my favorite Fox shows, I still stand with Cablevision because I think that Fox's demands are way out of line for a commercial broadcast network. Besides, there are other ways to view your favorite programming, and are legal.

There is Hulu.com an online service which provides online access to your favorite shows. Although, you mayhave to wait a day or two for them to become available. But, just like a DVR, once it is available you can view the shows at your time. There are two point about this though. First, Fox had originally demanded that Hulu block their content from Cablevision customers. Although they quickly retracted that demand, as talks continue to stall who knows if they may revisit that scare tactic. It also makes me wonder how they would punish Dish customers once they join the fight. The other thing about Hulu is that you are forced to sit through the commercials. Although, the commercial breaks only last between 30-90 seconds, they cannot be fast forwarded through and they are often repetitively annoying. This option is free although they do offer premium content for a fee.

Another option is to get a Slingbox (http://www.slingmedia.com) and have a friend with a different service allow you to plug in. I have used a Slingbox for a couple of years now to watch TV while I travel. It allows me to connect in with hometown news and programs. It also allows me to watch and control my Tivo while on the road. Optional software will also allow you to watch your Slingbox on your Smartphone, great for long waits at the airport or the doctor's office.

While I hope that Fox comes to terms with Cablevision and Dish Network. I really hope that Cablevision and Dish prevail. Because there is more to this struggle than just a contract for retransmission of content. There is a precedent to be set. If Cable and Dish win, that means that Networks like Fox, NBC, ABC, Scripps, YES, etc. have reached their limit on milking money from the public. Yes, they are entitled to be paid for their content but, they need to make their demands realistic. The public can live without the programming. They may not be as happy, but life will go on.