|
Dropping cable TV in favor of streaming services was once a surefire way to save big money. But as more and more people become cord-cutters, content providers are raising their prices and getting rid of the over-the-top box is no longer the cost-saver it once was.
At least, not if you try to duplicate the channel bundle you get with traditional cable TV. As cord cutting has become more mainstream, there are a growing number of faux-cable services that look a lot like what you’re used to – and, increasingly, so do their price tags.
Each year, I put together a guide to cord cutting. Originally, after I dropped cable in 2013, I updated it only occasionally, but the landscape has changed to the point that it needs an annual refresh. That’s particularly true after the pandemic year of 2020, when we stayed home and chewed through everything on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max and more.
Early on, if you wanted to ditch cable, you need only subscribe to Netflix and/or Hulu, and rent or buy shows and movies from Apple’s iTunes or Amazon Prime Video. But many of the favorite, classic shows – a.k.a. “comfort TV” – have been pulled back and locked away for new streaming services run by the media giants that own their rights. That’s why “The Office” is no longer on Netflix, for example – you have to subscribe to NBCUniversal’s Peacock to watch that beloved series.
In the first installment of this two-part guide, I’ll walk you through the steps of deciding whether cord-cutting is for you and help you assess the quality of your internet service. In next week’s Release Notes, we’ll go over strategies for cord cutting and examine the various services available.
Should You Drop Cable?
There is no question that cable TV takes up way too much of your household budget. DecisionData.org estimated in a March 2020 report that the average U.S. cable bill is $217.42 per month, or $2,549 annually, making it the most expensive utility cost in most households.
When I first dropped cable in the spring of 2013, I was paying almost $1,600 annually, and I was able to cut that amount to $588. But I was a good candidate for saving cash because of the way my wife and I watch television.
We are not channel surfers, hopping around looking for something, anything to watch. We watch a handful of network or cable shows, and spend a lot of time in the catalogs of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and HBO Max. I like to say watch TV with intent – we know what we like and we seek it out in cost-saving ways, such as Netflix, which remains the best streaming deal.
Channel surfers who want live, on-demand TV at their disposal 24/7, will need to invest in a faux-cable bundle, a service that looks like cable TV but delivered over the internet. I’ll discuss these more in Part 2 coming next Tuesday, but it’s important to know that the monthly fee for these has been going up steadily, and depending on what else you pay for, could cause your TV bill to approach cable’s cost.
We also don’t watch a lot of sports, the exception being baseball and basketball when Houston teams are in the playoffs. While watching live sports via streaming is easier now than it used to be, doing so will raise your cost and may put it close to a cable package.
|
|
|
