Netflix now bigger than Comcast for pay TV

Netflix has now outpaced Comcast at the largest pay TV operator in the nation. As the premier pay TV service, Netflix offers unlimited TV and movies instantly over the Internet for $8 each month.

The Financial Times reports Netflix has 22.80 million customers while Comcast has 22.76 million customers, the latter having lost subscribers yet again in the last quarter.

But this is not a “beat up on Comcast” thing, it’s a “celebrate your wallet” thing. Netflix costs $8 per month while the average Comcast cable customer has a monthly bill of $71.

The sea change at work because of Netflix and similar services like Hulu and others is amazing. My 5-year-old son does not understand if he sits down at the TV and I tell him he can’t watch the show he wants to see because it isn’t scheduled. He just doesn’t get the concept! That’s because he’s accustomed to using my wife’s iPad to watch shows on Netflix right there and then.

Think about that. The $8 service is vastly superior to the one that costs you 9 times as much, even to a 5 year old!

You may have also recently heard that the number of people buying TVs declined by a meaningful number last year. That’s because of younger people who watch TV on their laptop or tablet instead of buying an actual set. They watch Hulu, they watch Netflix and they greatly reduce their bills.

How about you in your life? Can you dial back on your cable or satellite package? Or can you go without and look at cheaper options? Don’t forget about the free programming on network websites where you get to watch stuff on your schedule, not theirs!