HOW TO CUT CORDS WITH A DONGLE

People who have plugged Google’s $35 Chromecast dongle into their TV sets have discovered that they can watch current TV shows on their television sets — free. According to a study by Parks Associates and reported in today’s (Wednesday) Los Angeles Times, about a third of Chromecast users are watching the shows via the free Hulu streaming service, although that service was intended to allow fans of TV shows to catch up on episodes of network shows on their smartphones, laptops, or tablets. The Times quoted Parks Associates Research Director Brett Sappington as saying, “What we’re seeing is consumers ultimately want their content, first and foremost, on the biggest screen in their home. … In many cases, the content rights don’t really allow that to happen. So, Chromecast provides a work-around.” He noted that soccer fans are using the device to watch Premiere League matches streamed by NBCSports.com on their TVs. The broadcast network, he said, “only broadcast[s] one or two soccer matches, but online they have them all.”