5 Cord Cutting Stories to Watch For in The Second Half of 2018
By Luke Bouma on July 23, 2018 in All News, News
2018 is about half done now, and there is a ton of cord cutting news still to come. Today I wanted to point out five stories cord cutters should be paying attention to as we enter the second half of 2018.
#1 DIRECTV NOW
There is a ton of DIRECTV NOW news in the works for the second half of 2018. First is the 100 hour DVR add-on that is reportedly going to cost about $5. AT&T also announced that they plan to roll out expanded DIRECTV NOW parental controls in 2018.
#2 Verizon
Earlier this year Verizon announced that they had given up on offering their own live TV streaming service. Yet they said they are looking at an existing provider like Sling TV or PlayStation Vue to team up with as they launch their 5G service. Keep an eye on this as we could be seeing a rebranded version of a current live TV streaming service later this year.
#3 5G Home Internet
One of the main concerns with cord cutting has been internet access. Now 5G is starting to roll out with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and others rolling out 5G internet later this year. Other companies like DISH, Google, Charter, and more all plan to launch 5G in 2019. Look for this to bring real competition to home internet starting this year.
#4 T-Mobile TV
Earlier this year T-Mobile announced plans to launch a live TV streaming service in 2018. T-Mobile says their goal is to disrupt the current world of pay TV, but details have been very thin. Keep a close eye on this as the year goes on. It will be very interesting to see what T-Mobile can pull off.
#5 New Streaming Players
2018 has been relatively light on new streaming players. We have the new Fire TV Cube, but so far that has been the big story in the world of streaming players. Keep a close eye on maybe a new Fire TV Stick now the oldest of all the streaming players from the big three on the market right now.
Also, keep an eye on Roku for a possible refresh of the Roku lineup. Roku did make a few minor changes in 2017, but the Roku Stick only received a new remote. Look for Roku to possibly roll out an updated Roku Stick or set-top box in 2018. We do not expect any new Apple TVs this year, but Apple may surprise us.
What news are you excited about? Leave us a comment and let us know what you are expecting in the second half of 2018.
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