Netflix Changes October 2015

If you've ever wondered what is being added and taken away from Netflix, and when this is a monthly spot that we'll run to keep you in the loop. For those returning shows that had October start dates, many of the CW shows for example, you'll likely see last season listed here.

Additions:

October 1

• A Christmas Carol (1938)
• About Alex (2014)
• Alexander: Theatrical Cut (2004)
• American Pie (1999)
• Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics Collection: Collection 1
• Batman Begins (2005)
• Boogie Nights (1997)
• The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
• Curse of Chucky (2013)
• Dark Was the Night (2014)
• Design on a Dime Collection: Collection 1
• The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961)
• El Tiempo Entre Costuras (2013)
• Extreme Homes Collection: Collection 1
• Fixer Upper: Season 1
• Genevieve's Renovation: Season 1
• Glass Chin (2014)
• The Great Food Truck Race Collection: Collection 1
• House Hunters Renovation Collection: Collection 1
• Million Dollar Baby (2004)
• Million Dollar Rooms Collection: Collection 1
• Monkey Thieves: Seasons 1-3
• On the Town (1949)
• The Navy SEALs: Their Untold Story (2014)
• The Nightmare (2015)
• Pal Joey (1957)
• Pepe (1960)
• Pressure (2015)
• Property Virgins Collection: Collection 1
• Reasonable Doubt (2014)
• Richard Pryor: Icon (2014)
• Robin Williams Remembered, A Pioneers of Television Special (2014)
• Some Came Running (1958)
• Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)
• Throwdown with Bobby Flay Collection: Collection 1
• Uncle Grandpa: Season 1 (more episodes)
• Vanilla Ice Project: Seasons 1-4
• Wakfu: Season 1
• White Rabbit (2013)
• Wild Horses (2015)
• Worst Cooks in America Collection: Collection 1

October 2

• Anjelah Johnson: Not Fancy (2015)
• La Leyenda de la Nahuala (2007)
• Reign: Season 2
• The Vampire Diaries: Season 6

October 3

• Alpha and Omega 5: Family Vacation (2015)

October 5

• Team Hot Wheels: Build the Epic Race (2015)

October 6

• American Horror Story: Freak Show (Season 4)
• The Flash: Season 1
• iZombie: Season 1
• Last Man Standing: Season 4
• The Originals: Season 2
• Tremors 5: Bloodline (2015)

October 7

• Arrow: Season 3
• Flor Salvaje: Season 1
• Legends: Season 1
• Supernatural: Season 10

October 8

• American Heist (2014)
• Strangerland (2015)

October 9

• Mighty Med: Season 2
• The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show: Season 1
• Winter on Fire (2015)

October 10

• Lalaloopsy: Band Together (2015)

October 11

• Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me (2014)
• Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Season 3

October 12

• Jane the Virgin: Season 1

October 14

• Lazarus (2015)

October 15

• Finding Jesus: Faith. Fact. Forgery: Season 1
• Isabella Rossellini's Green Porno Live! (2015)
• The Five People You Meet in Heaven: Part 1/Part 2 (2004)

October 16

• All Hail King Julien: Season 2
• Anthony Jeselnik: Thoughts and Prayers (2015)
• Beasts of No Nation (2015)
• Circle (2015)
• The Principal: Season 1
• Some Assembly Required: Season 2

October 18

• Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013)

October 20

• Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered (2014)
• Marvel's Avengers Assemble: Season 2

October 22

• Results (2015)

October 23

• Hemlock Grove: Season 3

October 24

• Jack Strong (2014)

October 25

• Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection (2015)

October 27

• August: Osage County (2013)
• Manson Family Vacation (2015

October 28

• Chasing Life: Season 2
• The Gunman (2015)

October 29

• Return to Sender (2015)

October 30

• Popples: Season 1

Leaving:

October 1

• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• American Masters: Billie Jean King (2013)
• Analyze That (2002)
• Analyze This (1999)
• Angela's Ashes (1999)
• Annie Hall (1977)
• Baby's Day Out (1994)
• Bandits (2001)
• Barnyard (2006)
• Beautician and the Beast (1997)
• Beyond Borders (2003)
• Big Lebowski (1998)
• Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern Collection
• Buying & Selling: Season 1-2
• Caprica: Season 1
• Charlie Bartlett (2007)
• Clockstoppers (2002)
• Cold Mountain (2003)
• Days of Heaven (1978)
• Dead Files: Season 1-2
• Dead Man Walking (1995)
• Destination Truth: Season 4
• Devil's Rejects (2005)
• Domestic Disturbance (2001)
• Down to Earth (2001)
• Ella Enchanted (2004)
• Exorcist (1973)
• Hawaii Five-O (1968): Season 11-12
• Hotel Impossible: Season 1-2
• Hunt for Red October (1990)
• Interview with the Vampire (1994)
• Kangaroo Jack (2003)
• L!fe Happens (2011)
• L'Auberge Espagnole (2002)
• Maverick (1994)
• Nature: Ireland's Wild River (2014)
• Nature: Leave It to Beavers (2014)
• Nature: Love in the Animal Kingdom (2013)
• Nature: My Bionic Pet (2014)
• Nature: Parrot Confidential (2013)
• Nature: Saving Otter 501 (2013)
• Nature: Snow Monkeys (2014)
• Nature: Touching the Wild: Living with the Mule Deer of Deadman Gulch (2014)
• Off Limits Collection: Collection 1-2
• Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
• Phantom of the Opera (1989)
• Pioneer Woman Collection: Collection 1
• Plankton Invasion (2012)
• Producers (1968)
• Restaurant: Impossible Collection: Impossible
• Rob Roy (1995)
• Romeo + Juliet (1996)
• Saturday Night Live: The 2010s: Season 37
• Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (2011)
• Sid the Science Kid: Season 1
• This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
• Twilight (2008)
• Twins (1998)
• Windtalkers (2002)
• You Got Served (2004)

October 4

• Wolverine and the X-Men: Season 1

October 7

• Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure (2013)
• Alpha and Omega 3: The Great Wolf Games (2014)

October 8

• Snoop Dogg Presents The Bad Girls of Comedy (2012)

October 9

• Crank (2006)

October 12

• Bratz Kidz: Fairy Tales (2007)

October 15

• Good Luck Chuck (2007)
• Pinky Dinky Doo: Season 1
• Play with Me Sesame: Season 1
• Sesame Street: Animals and Nature: Season 1
• Sesame Street: Classics: Vol. 1-2
• Sesame Street: Cookie and Friends: Season 1
• Sesame Street: Creativity and Imagination: Season 1
• Sesame Street: Elmo and Friends: Season 1
• Sesame Street: Everyday Moments: Season 1
• Sesame Street: Music and Dance: Season 1
• Sesame Street: Numbers and Letters: Season 1

October 16

• Brüno (2009)
• Chico & Rita (2010)

October 20

• Freelancers (2012)

October 22

• Machine Gun Preacher (2011)

October 25

• Nanny 911: Season 1

October 26

• Bratz: Genie Magic (2006)

October 27

• Alexandria (2010)

October 29

• America's Sweethearts (2001)

October 30

• Life in Our Universe: Season 1

October 31

• Braxton Family Values: Season 3

College Football 9-26-15

It's nearly the weekend and that means lots of TV's will be filled with College Football, and if you're tailgating or stuck at home you can view a lot of games for FREE with a simple antenna set up.  Note that some of these broadcasts are coming out of the Greensboro market so reception in Charlotte may or may not work.  These are indicated with an asterisk (*) after the station number.


12:00

• 9-1 and 45-1* BYU at Michigan
• 48-1* Colgate at Holy Cross

12:30

• 55-1 and 8-1* Indiana at Wake Forest

3:30

• 3-1 and 2-1* Tennessee 
• 9-1 and 45-1* TBA
• 36-1 and 12-1* Massachusetts at Notre Dame
• 18-1 and 48-1* Appalachian State at Old Dominion 

4:30

• 46-1 and 8-1* Texas Christian at Texas Tech

7:00

• 18-1* and 48-1* Florida Atlantic at Charlotte

8:00

• 9-1 and 45-1* UCLA at Arizona

8:30

• 46-1 and 8-1* TBA

Amazon Prime Instant Video Additions October 2015

Since Amazon Prime membership is only $67 for new customers today it seemed fitting to inform you all of the new streaming options that a prospective membership would get you next month.  Once upon a time Amazon Prime was all about the free 2-day shipping, but now it's a cord cutters paradise.  With the introduction of offline viewing and the huge music library available to subscribers it is arguably the best streaming service available today.  If you want to try before you buy you can sign up to try Amazon Prime free for 30 days.  This will be a monthly piece covering the additions to their Instant Video line up included with the Prime service.  

Additions: 

October 1

• Astro Boy
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• The Fly (1958)
• John Carpenter's Vampires
• The Impostors (1998)
• Light It Up
• March of the Penguins
• Max Dugan Returns
• Nell
• The Other Son (2012)
• Pee-wee's Big Adventure
• The Secret Garden (1993)
• Someone Like You

October 6

• American Horror Story: Freak Show

October 7

• Alpha Omega 2
• Alpha Omega 3

October 9

• Amazon's Red Oaks: Season 1

October 14

• Bark Ranger

October 23

• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
• While We're Young

October 28

• Curious George: Season 9

October 29

• Tom at the Farm

October 30

• Danny Collins

Amazon Prime One Day Membership Sale

If you were watching the Emmy Awards this past weekend, it was available via antenna afterall, you may have seen Amazon win several awards for some of its original series. To celebrate the occassion Amazon is selling memberships to it's Prime program to new customers for $67.  Thats a $32 savings! The catch is that it is for one day only and that day happens to be 9/25/15.

We at CCC are big fans of Prime membership.  Among the many perks are:

• FREE Two-Day Shipping on eligible items to addresses in the contiguous U.S. and other shipping benefits. For more information, go to Amazon Prime Shipping Benefits.
• FREE Same-Day Delivery in eligible zip codes. For more information, go to Order with Prime FREE Same-Day Delivery.
• Prime Instant Video: unlimited streaming of movies and TV episodes for paid or free trial members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For more information, go to About Prime Instant Video.
• Prime Music: unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of Prime Playlists and more than a million songs for members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For more information, go to About Prime Music.
• Prime Photos: Secure unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive. For more information, go to About Prime Photos.
• Prime Pantry: Access to Prime Pantry, where members can purchase and ship to addresses in the contiguous U.S. low priced grocery, household, and pet care items for a flat delivery fee of $5.99 for each Prime Pantry box. Prime Pantry orders cannot be shipped to addresses in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
• Amazon Elements: Access to Amazon Elements products, Amazon's own line of everyday essentials.
• Prime Early Access: Get 30-minute early access to Lightning Deals on Amazon.com and new events on MyHabit.com. For more information, go to About Prime Early Access.
• Kindle Owners' Lending Library: access to members in the U.S. For more information, go toKindle Owners' Lending Library
• Kindle First: Early access for members in the U.S. to download a new book for free every month from the Kindle First picks. For more information, go to Kindle First.
• Deals and Discounts, Compliments of Amazon Mom: These include 20% off diapers through Subscribe & Save and 15% off eligible products from your baby registry. For more information go to Get 20% off Diaper Subscriptions or About the Completion Discount.
• Membership Sharing: Two adults living in the same household can create an Amazon Household to share certain Amazon Prime benefits. For more information, go to About Amazon Households.

2015 NFL Week 3 OTA Lineup

Since CBS, Fox, and NBC all have rights to air NFL games it means there is a lot of free football out there for the taking via over the air antenna received signals.  This week(end) there are 5 different games all of which are in HD.  CBS will carry the Thursday night game from weeks 2-8. There is an exception to the usual lineup, the Greensboro market CBS affiliate is scheduled to show the Pitt v. STL game whereas the Charlotte market is not. (Note Greensboro market stations are also listed and indicated with an asterisk (*). )

Thursday September 24th

8:25 PM

• 3-1 and 2-1*  Washington At New York Giants - CBS

Sunday September 27th

1:00 PM

• 2-1* Pittsburgh Steelers at St. Louis Rams - CBS
• 46-1 and 8-1* New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers - FOX

4:25 PM

• 3-1 and 2-1* Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks - CBS

8:20 PM

• 36-1 and 12-1* Denver Broncos at Detroit Lions - NBC

College Football 9-19-15

It's nearly the weekend and that means lots of TV's will be filled with College Football, and if you're tailgating or stuck at home you can view a lot of games for FREE with a simple antenna set up.  Note that some of these broadcasts are coming out of the Greensboro market so reception in Charlotte may or may not work.  These are indicated with an asterisk (*) after the station number.


12:00

• 9-1 and 45-1* Air Force at Michigan State
• 48-1* Buffalo at Florida Atlantic

12:30

• 3-1 and 8-1* Northwestern at Duke

3:30

• 3-1 and 2-1* Auburn at LSU
• 9-1 and 45-1* TBA
• 18-1 and 48-1* Norfolk State at Marshall
• 36-1 and 12-1* Georgia Tech at Notre Dame

7:00

• 18-1* and 48-1* North Carolina State at Old Dominion

7:30

• 46-1 and 8-1* California at Texas

8:00

• 9-1 and 45-1* Stanford at USC

Amazon Prime Instant Video Offline Viewing

If you're like most cord cutters you've already signed up for one of the various streaming services.  All of them have their advantages.  Certain exclusive rights to particular shows, original content, and types of programming are all considerations when signing up for one.  However Amazon Prime offers by far the largest amount of benefits with it's service.  While not streaming service in the conventional sense, Amazon includes many perks for it's subscribers streaming video included.  Recently they took this service to a whole new level by offering offline viewing.

Anyone who has ever tried to watch a movie or TV show on the go knows the potential problems involved.  First of all if you aren't on a solid Wi-Fi connection you need to use mobile data to stream the content.  This is usually fine until you go into an area with sketchy reception.  The other major downside is that HD quality content uses a lot of data, and if your package limits the amount you have, or throttles your usage you're probably in for a headache one way or the other.  Offline viewing solves those problems by allowing you to download the video to your device and watch without an internet connection. This page can give you the run down of how to set up your device to utilize this service.

Keep in mind that using your device for viewing video content causes the screen to run constantly thus increasing the speed at which the battery will drain.   Obviously you can just plug your device in using the typical charger, but here at CCC we're big fans of external battery packs.  We have several and they have paid off greatly while spending lots of time away from usual power sources. The most important thing to consider when using one is how big its battery is vs. the one in your device. 

The other thing to consider is memory usage.  When we experimented with this the video filed saved to the device memory instead of the micro SD card we had installed. This can cause the device to run more slowly, so be on the lookout.  You can mitigate the effects by choosing a lower quality video setting to download but it's up to you.

We've used this service to watch several shows, including Amazon's original series Bosch while on the go, and it's worked quite well.  All in all it's another fine service that's included with Amazon Prime, and certainly one to add to the list of Pros if you're considering signing up even if it's only for the trial membership.  

2015 NFL Week 2 OTA Lineup

Since CBS, Fox, and NBC all have rights to air NFL games it means there is a lot of free football out there for the taking via over the air antenna received signals.  This week(end) there are 5 different games all of which are in HD.  CBS will carry the Thursday night game from weeks 2-8. Panthers will be on CBS due to the AFC road team. (Note Greensboro market stations are also listed and indicated with an asterisk (*). )

Thursday September 17th

8:30 PM

• 3-1 and 2-1*  Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs - CBS

Sunday September 20th

1:00 PM

• 3-1 and 2-1* Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers - CBS
• 46-1 and 8-1* St. Louis Rams at Washington Redskins - FOX

4:00 PM

• 46-1 and 8-1* Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles - FOX

8:20 PM

• 36-1 and 12-1* Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers - NBC

Season Premieres November 2015

Pertaining to fall premiere dates, so far we've had the lists for September and October.  Today we're wrapping up the list of fall premieres with a few stragglers that don't start this season's run until November.  One big note here is that The Big Bang Theory moves back into its normal time slot on 11/5.  Until then it will be shown on Monday to avoid conflicts with the Thursday night NFL game.  That game will move to the NFL network after that.

Thursday, November 5

8:00 p.m. - The Big Bang Theory (moves into regular timeslot) - CBS

8:30 p.m. - Life In Pieces (moves into regular timeslot) - CBS

9:00 p.m. - Mom - CBS

9:30 p.m. - ANGEL FROM HELL - CBS

10:00 p.m. - Elementary - CBS

Friday, November 6

(Streaming) - Master of None - Netflix

8:00 p.m. - Masterchef Junior - Fox

8:30 p.m. - World’s Funniest - Fox

Tuesday, November 17

9:00 p.m. - CHICAGO MED - NBC

Friday, November 20

(Streaming) - Jessica Jones - Netflix

(Streaming) - The Man In The High Castle - Amazon

Crackle

For some cutting the cord means deeper cuts than just the pay TV package. While it's almost certainly a given that cord cutters will subscribe to one of the big name streaming services, for some there just isn't any extra money in the budget. If you fall into this category, or even if you're just bored with your other services you might consider Crackle.

We had heard about Crackle for quite some time, but never really explored it until recently. What is Crackle? Simply put it is an online distributor of TV shows and movies. Instead of relying on a paid subscription Crackle utilizes ads during its streams. Now this may sound too good to be true, and it does come with caveats. While there are some very good contemporary options such as Jerry Seinfeld's very fun Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and Sports Jeopardy, most of the content is either much older or was less than successful while in it's prime. Even shows that many would consider high quality, for example Seinfeld the sitcom, only offer select episodes instead of the many seasons one might find on a paid service.

Examples of movies that are currently offered are:

• "21"
• "Beverly Hills Ninja"
• "The Exorcism of Emily Rose"
• "District 9"
• "Guess Who"
• "Heavy Metal"
• "Heavy Metal 2000"
• "I Spy"
• "Jawbreaker"
• "Jerry Maguire"
• "The Net"
• "Olympus Has Fallen"
• "Once Upon a Time in Mexico"
• "Resident Evil: Extinction"
• "Shaun of the Dead"
• "Steamboy"
• "The Skulls"
• "Toy Soldiers"
• "Vantage Point"

While that is just a small listing of what is offered on the movie side, you can see that there are some movies that you recognize, and probably even enjoyed. Even it's simply going to be used a background noise while you work on other things, that is not a horrible lineup.

Crackle can be viewed online using your PC or via app on your other mobile devices, making it great for on the go watching, but getting the most of out the service would entail utilizing one of the TV adapters available.  We've used both the Roku and Chromecast devices with success, but many other products out there especially Sony products since Sony owns Crackle have support for viewing on your television.  Whether your looking to make deep cuts to your budget or just bored with the other stuff on your TV screen, and the thought of a commercial every now and then doesn't bother you, Crackle is certainly worth a look.

Season Premieres October 2015

Yesterday we shared a list of premiere dates for September, and it covered most of the big names in broadcast television.  However a few shows don't show up until a little later, and October's list has some legitimate titles, some are amongst our favorites.  If you've been wondering about the streaming status of any of the shows on today's list we'd be you'll see them very close to the start date of the newest season.  All of these titles are available without a cable or satellite subscription. While some are from paid streaming, almost all are available in HD via an antenna.

Thursday, October 1

8:00 p.m. - Bones - Fox

9:00 p.m. - Sleepy Hollow - Fox

Friday, October 2

8:30 p.m. - Dr. Ken - ABC

Saturday, October 3

11:30 p.m. - Saturday Night Live - NBC

Sunday, October 4

8:00 p.m. - Madam Secretary - CBS

9:00 p.m. - The Good Wife - CBS

10:00 p.m. - CSI: Cyber - CBS

Tuesday, October 6

8:00 p.m. - The Flash - the CW

9:00 p.m. - iZombie - the CW

Season Premieres September 2015

It's fall and we're just around the corner from the season premiere of many new and returning shows. The following list is all of the shows that cord cutters can expect to see from either streaming sites or from broadcast TV. Who says you can't find anything to watch without cable or satellite? As we've mentioned before many past seasons, if applicable, of these shows can be seen on the various streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Instant Video. Below is the list of debuts for September. Keep in mind that some of these shows will change time slots later in the season.

Monday, September 14

8:00 p.m. - Dancing with the Stars - ABC

Tuesday, September 15

(Streaming) - The Mindy Project - Hulu

10:00 p.m. - BEST TIME EVER WITH NEIL PATRICK HARRIS - NBC

Monday, September 21

8:00 p.m. - Gotham - Fox

8:00 p.m. - The Big Bang Theory - CBS

8:00 p.m. - The Voice - NBC

8:30 p.m. - LIFE IN PIECES - CBS

9:00 p.m. - MINORITY REPORT - Fox

9:00 p.m. - Scorpion - CBS

10:00 p.m. - Castle - ABC

10:00 p.m. - NCIS: Los Angeles - CBS

10:00 p.m. - Blindspot - NBC

College Football 9-12-15

We're on tap for another exciting Saturday of College Football, and if you're tailgating or stuck at home you can view a lot of games for FREE with a simple antenna set up.  (Note that some of these broadcasts are coming out of the Greensboro market so reception in Charlotte may or may not work.  These are indicated with an asterisk (*) after the station number.)

12:00

• 9-1 and 45-1* Oregon State at Michigan
• 18-1 and 48-1* Presbyterian at UNC Charlotte

12:30

• 3-1 and 8-1* Wake Forest at Syracuse

3:30

• 3-1 and 2-1* Georgia at Vanderbilt
• 9-1 and 45-1* Notre Dame at Virginia
• 48-1* Austin Peay at Southern Mississippi

4:30

• 46-1 and 8-1* Iowa at Iowa State

7:00

• 48-1* Norkolk State at Old Dominion

8:00

• 9-1 and 45-1* Oregon at Michigan State

NFL Week 1 OTA Lineup

Since CBS, Fox, and NBC all have rights to air NFL games it means there is a lot of free football out there for the taking via over the air antenna received signals.  This week(end) there are 5 different games all of which are in HD.   (Note Greensboro market stations are also listed and indicated with an asterisk (*). )

Thursday September 10th

8:30 PM

• 36-1 and 12-1*  Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots - NBC

Sunday September 13th

1:00 PM

• 3-1 and 2-1* Miami Dolphins at Washington Redskins - CBS
• 46-1 and 8-1* Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars - FOX

4:00 PM

• 3-1 and 2-1* Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos - CBS

8:20 PM

• 36-1 and 12-1* New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys - NBC

Do you know what you're paying for?

Are you paying for TV unnecessarily? For many of us the idea to stop paying for TV service is born more out of frustration with sending hundred's if not thousands of dollars to the cable or satellite companies every year.   After all the American economic landscape has changed pretty drastically in this most recent era.  For starters the amount of debt that some carry might lead you to believe that they live in a mansion, but in reality they're paying ridiculous amounts of money in student loans, all to achieve a degree that may not pan out into a career deserving of such expense. Our society has also become inundated with more and more things that carry a monthly charge.   Cell phones are a great example of this.  While the cost does not have to be very high, we've grown used to he cost of having the latest smartphone with a high limit data package might cost you somewhere in the ball park of that cable subscription.   So much money going out each month will inevitably lead to having to cross a few items off the monthly budget.

Often times when we discuss the notion of "Cutting the Cord" in a television sense we start to consider what we'll be losing.  There is an emotional component to the concept. What good is working for a reasonable living, if you can't enjoy a few minutes of downtime with something that entertains you? This is what brings us back to the initial question of paying for TV unnecessarily.  Consider this, on September 3rd, just a few days ago, an estimated 11.74 households viewed a program on one of the 5 major networks for the 8:00 pm hour.  What makes this number astonishing is that this was a night when most of those shows were re-runs. When these same shows are airing new episodes it's not unheard of for those numbers jump into the tens of millions for each show.  If you're watching shows available via antenna like Bones, The Big Bang Theory, Scandal, The Blacklist, or Arrow and you're paying for cable you're essentially wasting your money.   Now to be fair you're probably not watching only those shows, but there are only so many hours in a week.

The reality of all of this is that a paid television subscription covers not only the shows that you do watch, but the ones you don't.  This report over at The Consumerist shows just how much money you might be paying for the stuff you don't watch.  ESPN makes up over $6 of your bill, and based on the report breaking out ESPN 2 as a separate cost it seems like that money is not for the whole suite of ESPN networks.  If you're a sports fan you might be happy to pay that, but if you aren't the notion of paying over $70 a year for something you aren't using might be a little sickening.  Now not all channels cost nearly that much, but when you talk about the sheer numbers of channels available in some packages, it doesn't really matter if you pay $6 or $0.06, things add up to big totals regardless.

To really decide if you're getting the value out of your subscription take a few minutes and take note of the shows you watch in a week, the networks you're watching them on, and how large a piece of your television time they take up.  If that list includes a lot of programs from broadcast network stations like ABC, CBS, CW, NBC, and Fox, which are available via antenna, then you'll know that cord cutting is at least worth your time.  Even if you have a handful of shows that you must see each week that do not air on those networks, the cost of those episodes through a retailer like Amazon might still come out to much less than your cable package.  Many titles can be purchased for $2.99 an episode for HD or for $1.99 in SD.  Even if you bought 20 episodes at $2.99 an episode you'd spend less than $60.  The average television subscription is $123 a month, which by our math is equivalent to 41 HD episodes bought through Amazon.   If you pay at least $123 dollars a month for TV and you watch fewer than 41 episodes of non broadcast network TV you are throwing money out the door.

The typical challenge to this approach is live sports.  With 4 of the major leagues having their own dedicated channels, and exclusive showings on those its pretty hard to get the same experience without a fancy TV package. The upside is that many major sports leagues have online streaming options allowing you access to virtually every game.  The downside is that many of them blackout games that are shown in your region. For example here at CCC we're big Carolina Hurricanes fans, and unfortunately the games are not shown on any of the OTA channels.  The NHL does offer a very nice, and reasonably priced streaming option, but since we're in the 'Canes viewing area those games would be blacked out.  The cost of the rights to show live games is the main reason that networks like ESPN cost so much more than others.

Fortunately for cord cutters, the major networks are well aware that people want sports, and will pay big money to acquire the rights.  As a result you will be able to see legitimate high quality sports on local your OTA stations.  The best example of which is the NFL showing local games on OTA stations, so you'll nearly always be able to see the Panthers' games for free in High Definition in the Charlotte area.  We have plans to further address sports more deeply in future posts, but just know that you have options outside of paying for a big cable or satellite package.

Often times we hear folks wondering why you can't just buy the channels you want.  Well if you're willing to wait at least a day for the episodes to become available via internet retailers then you can pretty much do exactly that.  It doesn't solve the sports "problem" but if you're pinching pennies it could be the way to go.  Only you can decide if the math works out in your favor, but financially speaking it is well worth it to run the numbers and see for yourself if you are really getting the value you think you are.

College Football 9-5-15

It's the first Saturday of College Football, and if you're tailgating or stuck at home you can view a lot of games for FREE with a simple antenna set up.  Note that some of these broadcasts are coming out of the Greensboro market so reception in Charlotte may or may not work.  These are indicated with an asterisk (*) after the station number.

12:30

• 3-1 Wofford at Clemson

3:00

• 18-1 Howard At Appalachian State

3:30

• 3-1 Auburn vs.Louisville
• 8-1* Virginia at UCLA
• 9-1 BYU at Nebraska
• 48-1* Wagner at Rice

7:00

• 48-1* Southern at Louisiana Tech

7:30

• 36-1 Texas at Notre Dame

8:00

• 9-1 Alabama vs. Wisconsin

Netflix Changes September 2015

If you've ever wondered what is being added and taken away from Netflix, and when this is a monthly spot that we'll run to keep you in the loop. As a special note September is when you can find the most recent season of many network shows as they prepare for their fall debuts.  September 2015 is also important as Netflix's contract with Epix runs out at the end of the month.   This means many of the bigger blockbuster type titles will leave Netflix's streaming service.

Additions:


September 1

• 72 Dangerous Animals: Australia: Season 1
• The Adventures of Sharkboy & Lavagirl (2005)
• Arthur: Season 17
• Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (2014)
• Battle Creek: Season 1
• Blackbird (2014)
• Capital C (2014)
• Combustion (2013)
• Da Jammies: Season 1
• Divorce Corp. (2014)
• Giggle and Hoot's Best Ever! (2014)
• Hamlet (1990)
• Hardball (2001)
• Heather McDonald: I Don't Mean To Brag (2014)
• Lawrence of Arabia: Restored Version (1962)
• The League: Season 6
• Los hombres también lloran: Season 1
• Masters of the Universe (1987)
• Mississippi Damned (2009)
• Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Volume 1
• The Monster Squad (1987)
• Mouk: Season 1
• Our Man in Tehran (2013)
• Pandas: The Journey Home (2014)
• Person of Interest: Seasons 1-3
• Puffin Rock: Season 1
• Rambo: First Blood (1982)
• Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
• Rambo III: Ultimate Edition (1988)
• Shake the Dust (2014)
• Sleepy Hollow (1999)
• Such Good People (2014)
• Up in the Air (2009)
• Zathura (2005)
• Zoo Clues: Season 1

September 2

• Black or White (2014)
• Miss Julie (2014)

September 3

• Drumline: A New Beat (2014)

September 4

• Baby Daddy: Season 4 (new episodes)
• Bad Night (2015)
• Madame Secretary: Season 1
• Melissa & Joey: Season 4 (new episodes)

September 7

• Space Dandy: Season 2

September 8

• 6 Years (2015)
• Love At First Fight (2014)

September 9

• Teen Beach Movie 2 (2015)

September 10

• Fugitivos: Season 1
• Longmire: Season 4

September 11

• About Elly (2009)
• God Bless the Child (2015)
• Madame Bovary (2014)

September 12

• It Happened Here (2015)
• Portlandia: Season 5
• The Roughnecks (2014)
• Why Did I Get Married? (2007)

September 13

• Comedy Bang! Bang!: Season 4 (part 2)
• Pixies (2014)

September 14

• Call the Midwife: Series 4

September 15

• The Bank Job (2008)
• Closer to the Moon (2015)
• Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
• Kambu: Season 1
• The Road Within (2015)
• Rubble Kings (2015)
• Sin Senos no Hay Paraiso: Season 1
• Zoobabu: Season 1

September 16

• The Blacklist: Season 2
• The Fosters: Season 3
• Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
• Reservation Road (2007)

September 17

• The Mysteries of Laura: Season 1

September 18

• Keith Richards: Under the Influence (2015)

September 21

• The Following: Season 3
• Gotham: Season 1

September 22

• Person of Interest: Seasons 4
• Philomena (2013)
• SMOSH: The Movie (2015)

September 23

• The Loft (2015)

September 24

• Iris (2014)

September 25

• Blue Bloods: Season 5
• Hawaii Five-0: Season 5
• Parenthood: Season 6
• VeggieTales in the House: Season 1

September 26

• The Canyons (2013)

September 27

• The Walking Dead: Season 5

September 29

• Bones: Season 10
• Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)
• Monster High: Boo York (2015)
• RL Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls (2015)

September 30

• Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 12
• Leafie: A Hen into the Wild (2011)
• Midnight's Children (2012)
• Murdoch Mysteries: Season 4-7
• Ned Rifle (2014)

Leaving:

September 1

• Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004)
• Better Than Chocolate (1999)
• Bratz: Rock Angelz (2005)
• Care Bears: Big Wish Movie (2005)
• Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-Lot (2004)
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
• Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! (2009)
• Doomsday Preppers: Season 1-3
• Electrick Children (2012)
• FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
• Ink Master: Season 2
• The IT Crowd: Series 1-4
• Jackie Brown (1997)
• Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
• The Lost Boys (1987)
• Mortal Kombat: The Movie (1995)
• Patch Adams (1998)
• Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
• Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000)
• Rules of Engagement (2000)
• Rumpelstiltskin (1987)
• Sarah's Choice (2009)
• School of Rock (2003)
• She's the One (1996)
• Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
• Total Recall (1990)
• W. (2008)

September 2

• Cheech & Chong's Hey Watch This (2010)

September 3

• Dinosaurs: Season 1-4

September 4

• Delta Farce (2007)

September 5

• Marilyn in Manhattan (2012)

September 7

• Ramsay's Best Restaurant: Season 1

September 9

• Bratz: Friendship Is Always in Style (2014)
• Kicking It (2008)

September 10

• 100 Below Zero (2013)
• Becoming Chaz (2010)
• Crash & Bernstein: Season 1-2
• War Witch (2012)

September 13

• High Fidelity (2000)

September 14

• Corky Romano (2001)

September 15

• Best of Teletubbies
• Bratz: The Video: Starrin' & Stylin' (2004)
• Coach: Season 1-9
• Spiral: Season 4
• Valhalla (2013)

September 16

• Hank: Five Years from the Brink (2013)
• The Slap: Season 1

September 20

• Reporter (2009)

September 22

• National Geographic: Inside Guantanamo (2009)
• National Geographic: The Battle for Midway (1999)

September 26

• Indy 500: The Inside Line (2011)
• Lethal Force (2011)
• Ron White: A Little Unprofessional (2012)

September 27

• LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu: Season 1-2
• My Boys: Season 1-4

September 28

• Undeclared: The Complete Series

September 29

• Bratz: Desert Jewelz (2011)
• Comic Book Men: Season 2
• Coriolanus (2011)

September 30

• Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
• Apocalypse Now (1979)
• The Expendables 3 (2014)
• The Good Guy (2010)
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
• If I Stay (2014)
• Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
• Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
• Nebraska (2013)
• The Prince (2014)
• Saved! (2004)
• The Skeleton Twins (2014)
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
• Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
• The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
• World War Z (2013)