Hey cord-cutters, here comes the cable companies

Ican’t believe I’m going to say this, but the cable companies we love to hate—a 2015 Consumer Reports survey found that 20 out of 24 cable providers received the lowest score possible— might actually be on to something.

I’m thinking of two in particular: Spectrum and CenturyLink, which both recently debuted their take on the streaming skinny bundle.

Yep, they’re jumping on the cord-cutting train with cheap, competitive packages for customers who may have already dumped their pay TV service.

Spectrum’s new product, called Spectrum Stream, costs $26 a month ($20 base plus a $6 fee), comes with all four local broadcast channels—CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX—and an attractive hodgepodge of 20 more live channels, including TBS, PBS and HGTV. Sports are not a part of the picture, but some popular stations such as NBS Sports and ESPN can be added on through the sports and news pack for $12 more per month.

Spectrum Stream, however, is only available to people with Spectrum internet service and you can only sign up the old-fashioned way—meaning, over the phone. You can’t even find the deal offered anywhere online, as the cable company is only alerting customers via snail mail and email of its existence.

Meanwhile, CenturyLink, a TV and DSL provider better known in the Arizona, Colorado and Washington areas, is now offering a streaming-only package, called CenturyLink Stream, for people across the country. It’s $45 a month, comes with a mix of popular broadcast and cable networks (with some sports channels), and includes a cloud DVR.

Its biggest downside is that local content is only available to customers in a few markets.

Neither company has the perfect skinny bundle in my estimation.

Without more locals, CenturyLink will have limited appeal to internet bargain shoppers who can get more from the competition for less, particularly PlayStation Vue.

And Spectrum’s deal, in being limited to Spectrum internet customers, clearly isn’t for everyone. Nor does it include a cloud DVR, though you can, of course, pay Spectrum more each month for its standard DVR service.

Still, Spectrum and CenturyLink are being quite smart.

Here’s why: My assumption, based on industry trends and hundreds of exchanges with readers, is that the average person interested in cutting the cord right now is primarily motivated by the prospect of saving money.

Surely, giving the cable or satellite company the metaphorical middle finger on the way out the door is also a satisfying thought for those who have endured the necessary evil of tedious rate-bargaining calls with their provider. But I suspect these very same people might balk at this feel-good, goodbye gesture if they could get everything they wanted: local channels, top cable networks, sports and a low price that doesn’t disappear six months down the line.

This is what’s called a “save” in industry parlance, meaning a last-ditch effort to hold on to people ready to part ways. And it’s the ultimate one. Instead of trying to keep disgruntled customers from canceling their cable packages, these companies, in essence, are saying, “OK, take those scissors. Cut the cord. But you can still stay with us.”

These new skinny bundles aren’t for me. (I prefer Sling TV and PlayStation Vue, primarily because they’re not run like cable TV companies and they’ve been around long enough to have the kinks sorted out.) But they could easily hook people who are ready to save money but are afraid to leave behind the comfort of the familiar. And I suspect that applies to most of you reading this column.