A poster child for cord cutting has given up on the cause, moving into an abode with a "tricked-out TV set up." That man is Forbes' Jeff Bercovici, who has gone without paying for cable for 13 years. As Bercovici explains, for over a decade he was happy with Netflix and Hulu, plus he saved money (he estimates that figure is something like $8,000 total). This all made him someone for the cable companies to fear because he didn't pay into their tyranny -- even as cable companies have made that a hard thing not to do for people who want to enjoy some tube time. But, now that he has given up the fight, he has turned into the exact opposite: An example of exactly why the cable companies aren't freaking out about these so called cord-cutters, or for that matter, the cord nevers—people who never had cable and never will.
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Some have argued that the cord-never generation may not feel the need for cable now, as single, cheap kids. But, as they grow up, they will change that tune. Bercovici did just that. His reason for paying into the system was that he moved in with his girlfriend. Thus, it was more affordable and also just made more sense. Here's the bit that cable companies will love, though, he has now imbibed the Kool-aid: "I’ve discovered how nice it is to watch 'Girls' or 'Mad Men' on Sunday night, when everyone else is watching it, so you can discuss it with people or read the recaps the next day," he wrote.
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Though some might call him a traitor to the cause, Bercovici still yearns for a less shackled solution. "If the day ever comes that the pay TV industry adopts the à la carte model, I’ll happily sign up for HBO, AMC, ESPN, Fox Soccer and Comedy Central and ditch all the rest," he wrote. But, by paying into the system he isn't giving the TV companies much of a reason to create that option for him. As HBO has taught us, as long as people are still willing to pay for a bundle of channels they don't want for the one that they do, it doesn't make financial sense for them to debundle things.
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We understand why Bercovici did it. But, for those of us who are still holding out, we are sad to see one of our own go to the dark side. Well, enjoy Breaking Bad, Jeff.
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Image via Shutterstock by Brian A Jackson