While cutting the cable cord might seem like a way to stick it to multibillion-dollar companies like Comcast and DirecTV, cord-cutting is also a potential goldmine for retailers eager to sell you the tools you’ll need to snip that traditional pay-TV umbilical. That’s why Walmart is pushing this new generation of products with a “Cut the Cable” promotion.
Walmart launched the promotion earlier this month, urging shoppers to buy products that focus on streaming services rather than traditional pay-cable, TVPredictions repots.
The promo, which runs until July 31, provides customers with four steps to cut the cord, as well as an idea of what products they’ll need to buy: smart TVs, routers, digital antennas, and streaming media devices.
“What better way to save money on your cable than by getting rid of it all together?” the company’s online “Cut The Cable” page states. “At Walmart.com, we can help you cut the cord with devices like streaming players and antennas that will keep you entertained and save you money at the same time.”
While the promotion is no doubt a way for Walmart to drum up sales by jumping on the cord cutting bandwagon, TVPredictions notes that the company doesn’t actually tell customers that they’ll still need an internet connection to cut the cord, or that the retailer owns its own streaming service, Vudu.
Instead, the company focuses on the costs of traditional cable services and purported savings to be captures by cutting the cord. It doesn’t outright mention the costs of its TVs or other devices unless you click on their product page.
“As cable TV bills grow even larger – families spend an average of $160 a month on cable bundles! — an increasing number of people are opting to cut the cord and slice that monthly bill by up to half,” the promotion exclaims. “Basically, this means dropping your cable or satellite TV subscription and opting for the ease and flexibility of watching all your favorite shows and movies on streaming services like Netflix and Vudu.”
While a small number of streaming services allow live access to broadcast TV networks, most cord-cutters will need an antenna to get their local NBC, CBS, ABC, or FOX station. Thus, Walmart is selling those too.
Maybe if the cable companies hadn’t been so greedy about set-top box fees and allowed retailers to make money by selling these devices, Walmart wouldn’t be so eager to push shoppers to cut the cord?
Walmart Urges Consumers to ‘Cut the Cord’ [TVPredictions]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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