As Netflix rolls out original programming like “House of Cards,” it’s taken the spotlight as a competitor to traditional cable networks. Soon however, the network will have additional competition from the likes of Amazon and Microsoft’s X-box, as well as other providers. With a wealth of programming now available online, what’s keeping you from cancelling your cable subscription?Several of you wrote in to say that “RuPaul’s Drag Race” prevented you from axing your cable.On Facebook, Sonia Diaz from Coral Gables, Florida writes that HBO and Showtime programming keep her paying that monthly cable fee.
Listener Patrick says he needs cable for Michigan State Basketball, and Diane from Lyndhurst, New Jersey says she’s kept her cable for her 87-year-old-dad because he enjoys the westerns — especially ones starring John Wayne — and the Yankees. But some of you are happily cable-free. Listener Shelley writes, “We’ve been cable free for two years and love it. The only time we feel a sting is with the ESPN-only broadcast of college bowl games. Everything is available online or on Netflix.” Brian Stelter, media reporter for our partner The New York Times, says that online programming is likely the future of television — and that cable networks should be wary.