Goodbye DirecTV

Dear DirecTV,

I know we've been together for a while. Eight years is a long time. When we first met, I was so excited. I loved the crystal clear picture. I loved the huge channel selection. And you've added features since then - DVR, local stations. Everything you do is still beautiful.

But it's time for us to part ways.

It's true, your price keeps going up. Costs have increased. I understand. But, that's not the real issue. The real problem is this: Your content no longer meets my needs. All those channels for children are great, but my child is a teenager now. She's long outgrown Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. And the channels I liked to watch? Most of them have devolved into showing things I have no interest in. There has been a long standing joke that MTV doesn't show videos anymore, but that joke has become the new norm. The History Channel doesn't show history anymore. The Sci-Fi channel shows less and less Science Fiction each year. Now they show wrestling. It would be easy for me to make a joke about Sarah Palin having a show on TLC, (formerly The Learning Channel), but that's just water over the dam. You have lots of shows, but not very many I want to watch.

I'll miss BBCAmerica. I've learned to love Top Gear and Doctor Who, but they're just not enough to make me want to continue our relationship.

I've gotten back together with our old former friend Tivo. I've realized that most of what I am watching was on the networks now, so we're recording all those shows that I like to watch.

Also, I have to confess. I've found someone new. I've started a relationship with Netflix. They have more content then I'll ever be able to watch. And they cost 1/10th the price. No, the picture quality is not as good, but I'd rather see things I like in mediocre picture quality than a crystal clear picture of something I'm not interested in.

I'm sorry DirecTV. That's just how I feel.

Don't take it so hard. I'm sure you'll find someone new.