iTunes + Netflix = Cancel Cable?

From The Consumerist....

iTunes + Netflix = Cancel Cable? - Consumerist: "A blogger over at ZDNet realized that he could cancel part of his cable, order his shows on iTunes, watch movies on Netflix and save $300 a year.

Last week I came to the realization that with Netflix and iTunes, I would be able to cut out the $50 portion of my cable TV bill and ditch the 80 or so channels I never watch, including 3 shopping channels, 3 sports channels, 6 family channels, numerous foreign language channels, and one Lifetime Channel for Women that my fiance tortures me with. Farewell Melissa Gilbert, Rachael Ray, and Paula Deen! You are thus banished from my home!

I'm currently interested in about 6 shows, all of which it turns out I can get on iTunes. Plus, Netflix handles all of my movie needs. If I'm generous with my iTunes figures, it adds up to about $300 in purchases each year, versus the $600 I pay for all of the 'variety' that Comcast provides me. The old model of just piping junk into my home simply doesn't make sense to me anymore."

The author goes on to say it might be a hard sell for most people, which is probably true.

FYI, I have not had cable for about 5 years now. I stopped not for financial reasons, but because I was plain sick of wasting an evening away on mindless television. I did watch a couple of shows, mainly the Sopranos and Sex and the City, but I downloaded them. Same with movies. Off bittorrent from time to time.

It just worked well for me, and I don't regret it. I do miss some college football, but I'll just head to a bar for a drink when I want to watch a game. So count me as one who saw the light a little early. It is suprisingly easy to drop cable when you want. Luckily, in Birmingham I can buy cable internet without the TV, so I'm not paying for the channels at all.

Ditto with the phone company... I haven't paid BellSouth a dime in a few years. Just went to cellular. That deserves another post.