Hostage Situation Ended: Quitting Paid TV

Sorry for the teaser headline, but hostage best describes the relationship we have with cable/satellite TV providers. I was paying $120/mo to watch a couple A's and Giants game, morning news and the occasional sitcom. I had a couple premium channels, but frankly the programming became indulgent and boring. I finally decided to cancel my satellite service and seek options, and I feel great. Liberated, free, creative and released from an evil corporate crack dealer that used baseball games as a gun pointed to my head so that I would pay to have 500 channels that I would never see.
Instead, I have opted for Netfilx(which I had previously anyway), HuluPlus, KTVU Live, ESPN videos, all from my Samsung SmartTV, like I was watching paid television. The difference, $104/mo. Additional benefit is the increase of reading, listening to Pandora and reading Patch.com that I am now doing.  
With advancement of the mobile and tablet markets, it is only a matter of time for these companies anyway. I encourage you to jump ship early and feel the freedom of walking away from their control and into your own empowerment.