Cutting the cable cord can be complicated
Streaming costs can add up, so do the math first
Most of us have a love-hate relationship with cable. We like television. We love a handful of stations. But we don’t need hundreds of useless channels, many of them boring, some of them in languages we don’t understand. Month after month, we pay our cable bills, yet we use only a small fraction of what we pay for.
It’s no wonder that cutting the cord seems so appealing. The idea of paying for only channels you want to watch, watching them when you want, and paying nominal monthly fees sounds great.
But like most great things in life, cutting the cord is complicated. There are so many streaming options that it’s hard to settle on only one or two. Do it wrong, and cord-cutters might end up paying more than traditional cable, which is exactly what streaming companies don’t want you to realize.
Sure, $7 a month for Disney’s muchanticipated streaming channel sounds great, if that’s all you’re subscribing to, but let’s be real: You can’t settle with just one streaming service, and these subscriptions add up.
Basic livestream TV channels
The main reason people love “real” television is that they can watch events unfold live. Most of us couldn’t fathom seeing an NFL playoff game or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade after the fact. Even if we’re sitting on a couch, thousands of miles from the event in question, the thrill exists only at the moment.
An antenna will help you access local channels, but what about favorite cable channels such as HGTV, History Channel, A&E and your favorite cable news channels?
You’ll need a live-TV streaming service like AT&T WatchTV, DirecTV Now, FuboTV, Sling, Hulu or any of the myriad streaming services. All of these have various packages and channel offerings, and one isn’t necessarily better than the other; it’s all about personal preference.
You choose a streaming service and opt for the ad-free, live-TV option. You’ll get access to about 70 or so channels, most of which you’ll never watch, but at least you’re not paying for 300+ stations from your cable company.
Your monthly cost: roughly $50 per month. You are happily off to a great start.
But wait, there’s more: You need premium channels. Here’s where things start to add up. You want to add your favorite premium channels including HBO, Showtime, Starz, and Cinemax. You’ll probably sign up and get some sort of three-month free deal, but after that, you’ll pay about $45 per month for the four premium channels.
Your monthly cost is up to about $95.
FOMO channels you must have
If you don’t subscribe to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, you’ll miss out on all the water-cooler chat about great Netflix and Amazon originals.
If you’ve already got an Amazon Prime account, you have access to all their Prime content. You also will have access to programming that you can rent or buy. Movie rentals start at $1.99 and go up to $7.99 and higher, but for our example, let’s say you spend about $25 a month on movie rentals.
Your monthly cost is up to $120. With Netflix, your monthly fee gets you access to their entire library of content; there are no rentals or titles for sale. You sign up for the premium ultraHD plan for $15.99 a month because that gets you the best quality HD, plus you and your family can share the plan and watch your own programming at the same time on multiple screens. Your new monthly cost is about $136. Don’t forget about Disney Plus, coming later this year. It’s going to really shake things up in the streaming business, with its recent takeover of Hulu and its enormous library of content that includes the Marvel and Star Wars universes. You have to have that. Your updated monthly cost grows to $143.
You’ve got your basic channels, your four favorite premiums, Amazon, Netflix and Disney, but we haven’t even talked yet about all the a la carte channels you can get that offer kids’ programming, sports, independent films, and original content.
Add CBS All Access for $5.99 a month, NBA League Pass for $28.99 a month, PBS Kids for $4.99 a month and YouTube Premium for the 20-somethings in your household, and we’re nearly at $200 per month.
Should you cut the cord?
Streaming has one key advantage over cable: On-demand programming. You can watch what you want when you want, and where you want. If you switch to streaming, don’t be misled by claims that you’ll save bundles by ditching cable. You may actually end up paying more. Do the math first.