The average household pays $116 on average per month for both cable and internet. Many of these packages come with cable channels that nobody in these houses even watches. You might be thinking of canceling your cable for this reason.
But where do you start with cable TV cutting? How much money could you save per month? What other options do you have?
Many people are “cutting cables” right now to save money. The truth is that you don’t need cable to enjoy your favorite shows.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about cable tv cord-cutting.
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Cutting Cables
Everyone has heard horror stories about how difficult it can be to cancel your cable. Don’t let this deter you from your decision to cut the cord. The key is to be firm with your provider when you call to cancel and make sure they turn it off.
It might take a while to complete this process, so just try to be patient. Then breathe in a sigh of relief once it’s all over.
Now What?
Once you’ve canceled your cable TV, you’re probably wondering what you should do next. Just because you didn’t want to pay a high monthly bill for cable doesn’t mean you don’t still want access to your favorite shows. You might even still want to watch live TV sometimes too.
The good news is that there are plenty of options to watch all of your favorite shows and discover new ones without cable. You can even get a live TV service without cable. Therefore, you should never feel guilty about wire cutting your cable company.
You could maybe even use the money you save to help pay off some debt.
Other Live TV Options
It’s understandable that you might want a reliable source of news, live sports, or just want to scroll through channels and see what’s currently on. The good news is that you have a few options for this that don’t require cable.
YouTube TV
A popular option for live and streaming television is YouTube TV. In some cases, this provides even more options than cable channels do.
It starts with a massive variety of channels that you can watch live. If you don’t see anything that interests you, you can search for shows you want to watch right now. You can even create a list of favorite shows, so you never miss an episode.
Hulu with Live TV
Hulu with Live TV is also a popular option. This is an extension to the basic Hulu package, meaning you get access to their entire streaming library as well as live channels.
You can watch sports and the news as it airs so you always stay informed about what’s going on in the world. Once you’ve done that, you switch back to watching one of the platform’s many hit shows like The Handmaid’s Tale or choose from the massive movie library. In other words, this option comes with endless entertainment.
TV Antennas
You can pick up an antenna from almost any store that sells hardware. It might seem like an old-fashioned idea, but it’s the only option today besides cable that doesn’t require an internet connection. Most of these only connect to basic channels, so they don’t have as much variety as other live TV options might have.
However, if your internet ever goes out for a while, you can still have access to your basic channels. This means you can at least get access to your local news and can hear emergency alerts on your TV if a storm is coming through your area.
Streaming Services
If you aren’t as attached to live TV, then you also have the option of streaming. Most of these require a paid subscription, but they always provide the option of a free trial before you commit. That helps you save a little money as you move forward with cable cutting, but you’ll still need internet service to enjoy them.
However, you could even stream to a TV in your outdoor space with a wifi connection.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime Video has been around almost as long as the concept of streaming. A lot of this platform’s content is a revolving door of shows and movies produced by other companies such as the BBC and Masterpiece. However, the real star of their platform is the variety of original content produced by Amazon for the platform.
HBO Max
In the past, you could only get HBO if you paid for more expensive cable service. This often came with channels that many people never even looked at.
HBO Max is an entire library of HBO shows, miniseries, and movies. The company has also obtained the rights to stream many other shows and movies as well. For example, those who are fans of Studio Ghibli films will be delighted to know that the entire Ghibli film library is available on HBO Max.
Peacock
NBC has also jumped on board the streaming train with their service, Peacock. This is one of the few services that stay free as long as you don’t mind missing out on their original or exclusive content. You will also have to watch ads for many of the shows, even if you pay for a subscription.
The good news is that even the free subscription has a lot of content to offer. You’re also much more likely to find old classics like Columbo as well as newer hits like Downton Abbey for free on this service. They also offer some live TV too such as sports and news.
Netflix
Netflix is a hard name to miss these days. First of all, they’re one of the oldest names in streaming. They also have one of the highest-quality streaming libraries in the industry.
This includes a lot of new and old films as well as original content. It’s a great place to start for a wide variety of genres. They’re also well known for having an excellent algorithm for making recommendations.
They also have a kids profile to prevent children from being exposed to rated R content without their parents knowing about it.
Disney+
This is also a slightly new service to the industry, even if Disney is no stranger to streaming. This service offers a handful of major draws to its customers.
The first is the massive library of films straight from the media giant’s famous vault, including every classic film the company has produced. The next is the variety of films from other major studios owned by Disney, including Lucas Films, Marvel, and National Geographic. Finally, they have a decent library of original content for the platform that’s constantly growing.
In other words, if you ever want to watch the latest Marvel or Star Wars shows, you’ll need a subscription to this service.
Roku TV
Roku is also somewhat new to the streaming industry in some ways. This company is well known for developing streaming devices and televisions.
Roku TV is a free streaming service with a surprising amount of content. They don’t focus as much on original content, but they have an interesting library of older shows and movies to enjoy for free. Furthermore, if you ever wondered what happened to the content produced for the failed streaming platform, Quibi, this is where you’ll find it now.
Apple TV
Apple TV is among the slightly older services out there. Their main draw is also their original shows and movies, such as Ted Lasso. Many smart TVs even have the streaming app available, but you’ll have a hard time getting it on any Google Device.
The tech giant also has a lot of exclusive content, such as the entire library of Peanuts animations. Unfortunately, their content is all behind a paywall except for anyone who recently purchased an Apple device. These people get a three-month free trial of the service.
Vudu
Unlike other streaming services, Vudu tends to focus on ownership and rentals of films and shows. This also means that it gives you access to a massive library of movies and television.
An account with Vudu is free, so it’s worth making one even if you rarely use it. This platform allows you to rent movies and gives you two days to watch them from the time of purchase.
They also do special deals where you can watch some movies for free with ads. Furthermore, they’re always running a sale on a revolving door of movies.
You can also purchase movies for your library on Vudu to watch whenever you want without paying every single time.
Start Cable TV Cutting Today
Becoming a cable cutter and canceling your cable service can help you save money and hassle easily. You won’t need a cable box with the number of streaming devices and services available.
All you have to do is take the first step and call your cable provider today to cancel, and you’ll be cable TV cutting in no time. You don’t even need a wire cutter to make it happen.
And when you need any insurance like home or auto, make sure you contact us at LoPriore Insurance Agency.
