The number of teen drivers has dramatically decreased over the past couple of decades. In 1983, 69% of all 17-year-olds had driver’s licenses. By 2008, only half of 17-year-olds had licenses. What’s behind the big drop?
Internet
Viewers Turn Off the TV … And TV Ad Prices Go Up?
For the first time in two decades, the number of U.S. households with at least one TV has declined. So why would the rates charged to TV advertisers be rising?
Is Pay Per Channel Cable TV Inevitable?
Most consumers like the idea of pay per channel cable TV, in which the customer would select a la carte the channels he actually watches, rather than pay for a bundled service with dozens, sometimes hundreds, of channels that are …
Comcast’s Internet Essentials: $10-a-Month Service for Low-Income Families
If you live in an area served by Comcast and your kids receive free lunches at school through the National School Lunch Program, you may qualify for a new Internet service from Comcast, which costs just $9.95 a month.
How the Internet Is to Blame for Your Overspending
For eons, the concept of keeping up with the Joneses fueled people’s desires to acquire the markings of wealth and show them off. With the rise of the Internet, the Joneses aren’t just next door or around town—they’re …
Big Cable Isn’t Scared of Netflix, or That People Are Too Poor to Pay Monthly Bills
At an industry event this week, cable executives laughed off the idea of large-scale “cord cutting,” or that Netflix and Internet video could one day replace their businesses. They also justified high prices charged for cable …
Microsoft’s Call on Skype: Profits, $0; Value, $8.5 billion
A million years ago, Microsoft was a late arrival to this thing called the Internet. And it seems that the company has never ceased trying to play catch up in the various business segments the web has spawned. Search, games, email, commerce, news, advertising, social networks—you name it and the warriors of Redmond have been chasing …
New York Times to Start Charging Up to $8.75 a Week for Digital Access
Canadians have to pay as of today. The new digital subscription plan rolls out in the U.S. on March 28, 2011.
Cheapskate Wisdom … About How Much (and How Often) You Pay for Internet Service
“You pay $50 per month for Internet at home, $30 per month for Internet on your phone, and, now, $30 for Internet on your tablet. You pay for the same exact thing three different times. As more and more devices become connected, some company is going to have to step-up and address this current reality.”
246 Money Tips: When to Haggle, How to Extend Food’s Lifespan, Why Being Old Has Its Benefits, and More
Also, plenty of stuff it’s best to avoid, including bad bosses, toxic spouses, diet soda, and voting for “American Idol.”
Remember News Corp.’s Brilliant MySpace Buy?
Just as the valuation of Facebook crossed the $50 billion mark, its once great rival MySpace was revealing a different set of numbers: MySpace axed half its work force, some 500 jobs. MySpace’s owner, News Corp. may have had enough the social networking business. At Time’s parent, Time Warner, we know all about what happens when a …
2011: The Year of the Cord Cutter?
There’s plenty to hate about cable TV—most notably, the nonsensical package structure of monthly bills in which the average customer pays for 117 channels and watches only 17 (and nothing good seems to be on ever), and the fact that cable rates have risen 59% since 1996 (three times the rate of inflation). While some 800,000 cable …