Webupon

YouTube and Megavideo – two of the largest online video websites currently on the internet. But are these websites eventually going to eliminate the need for cable and satellite? At the rate technology is progressing, it won’t be long before cable and satellite companies go out of business.

All you need is high-speed internet and a few Audio/Video cables connecting your computer monitor to your plasma or LCD television. Many television stations now have their own websites where they stream their news segments and allow free downloads for full program episodes. Add to that the fact that you can download shows from networks that don’t air in your own country, and cable and satellite companies become even less attractive, especially when they charge you a monthly fee to view the same television stations you can view online for free.

Let me give you an example. In Canada, the CRTC (Canadian Radio-Telecommunications Commission) has banned certain satellite signals from other countries. Cartoon Network and the Sci-Fi channel are two stations which have been banned from Canadian television airways. The reason? The CRTC “claims” that the same shows airing on these U.S. networks air on certain Canadian stations such as Teletoon, YTV and Space. While this is true to a degree, what the CRTC doesn’t tell you is that the U.S. network equivalents have better programs, better programming schedules, and better program marathons. Sure, you can watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars on CTV in Canada, but Cartoon Network is always 6-7 episodes ahead in the series. The U.S. always gets the best programs first, so why should I pay money to Bell, Rogers or Cogeco for cable or satellite television, when I don’t even get the shows I want to watch?

So if you have high-speed internet, you might consider trading in your cable or satellite subscription. Besides, if enough people unsubscribe, the companies will have no choice but to lower their monthly costs, at which point it may then become worth it to revisit the cable/satellite situation.