Cutting the Umbilical Cord: Cablevision Offers "Cord Cutting" Packages

Cablevision is now giving streaming services a run for their money

Cablevision is an American cable television company that offers cable and internet services to areas surrounding New York City. It is currently the 8th largest cable provider in the United States. Cablevision made headlines by offering first pay-TV providers HBO's new standalone service, HBO Now to its broadband customers. This is pretty nifty, seeing as HBO is making Netflix squirm in their seats. This paves way for potential for cable and internet service providers to compete their services by seeing what people want and giving it to them.

HBO Now itself is very fascinating. The service is standalone, meaning that you don't have to have a cable subscription with HBO in order to stream their shows. This tells me that HBO is really seeing how people view their media and the biggest hurdle they have is piracy. The service itself is an app that you can download from the iTunes, Google Play or via desktop/laptop. Basically, if you have the internet, you can access HBO Now. And HBO struck while the Iron Throne was hot; they released the app DAYS before the season 4 release of Game of Thrones, the most-watched show on HBO, which was no doubt planed to raise awareness for the app, as Game of Thrones is also one of the most pirated shows on torrent sites. Nice move, HBO. That was a pretty smart move to entice downloaders to skip the Pirate Bay and stream it through their app where they will most likely experience optimal audio and video quality.

...But now back to Cablevision. With their new package deal, the company is now offering consumers the ability to bundle internet, a free digital antenna AND HBO Now if they choose. That's definitely a power play on this company's part. Cablevision is trying its hand at inter-connectivity; they understand that all media is essentially full-filling "The Black Box Prophecy" and they want to capitalize on that. This is a brilliant strategy for the "cord-cutters", which are consumers that are ditching pricy cable TV subscriptions and luring in the "cord nevers", which are consumers who never signed up for a cable subscription in the first place. 

I feel this is the new way in which media will be consumed. Customers are tired with the wax and wan of cable companies jacking up prices, as they should be.

Your move, cable companies.

Pratical Pizza; Meals On Wheels With Pizza Hut App

By Sarah Parsons 

Pizza Hut is enabling users of their app to order on the go.

 You had me at pizza

Picture this; you are driving home from work and you get a hankering for some good ole Pizza Hut pizza, breadsticks, etc. But the only problem is, you don't know how to go about placing an order while you are going from work. Or, you have hungry children impatiently waiting at home who are hoping you don't come home again empty handed and sloppily put together frozen fish sticks and Easy-Mac again. Because, let's face it; sometimes you just don't feel like cooking or waiting in a drive-thru with other people possibly in the same predicament that you are in. Pizza Hut is here to help. The good people at Pizza Hut have come up with a solution to this problem by offering users of the app to order as they go.

How can this make things easier for me?

Texas-based company Pizza Hut Inc., San Francisco based company Visa Inc., and Ireland based consultant management firm Accenture PLC know how that feels. Basically, the app offers services like the ability for customers to order while driving, specifically beacon technology, which alerts employees when customers pull in to pick up their order. This means, the customer doesn't have to leave their vehicle when they pull up to a Pizza Hut location. Their order will be brought to them from the comfort of their car. The app also uses Visa Checkout, which is easier for the user to have their card information uploaded and ready to use when they arrive at a Pizza Hut location. A cool new facet for this Pizza Hut app is the ability for the car commerce program. This program enables users to have the inter-connectivity in their car, especially if they have a GPS navigation dashboard, that gives them the ability to download the app and use it in their car. 

How do you think users will respond to it?

I believe this is a smart move for Pizza Hut. The brand has had a torrid history with brand identity, specifically eliminating their buffet-style interior for a more polished and modern feel. Having the ability for delivery on-the-go through beacon technology with build customer loyalty with the brand. They are recognizing the inconveniences their customers face while ordering their food and are helping users navigate their order with ease. The pizza industry seems very cut-throat, especially with Domino's condensing their logo from "pizza" to the singular "Domino's". I'm interested to see how this inter connectivity with the car commerce program will fair with the app's new feature.  Let the pizza battles continue.