Is Cord Cutting Actually Cheaper Than Cable?
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- We'll answer the ultimate question, Is Cord Cutting Actually Cheaper Than Cable? This question is becoming increasingly more important as more options hit the market.
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See our BEST cable alternatives here:
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A little while ago I found out that my parents were paying $270 for a Comcast double-play package. I thought that was absurd, so I tried to pitch them on a streaming service like UA-cam TV. They didn't want that right off the bat, so I called Comcast on their behalf and got their package down to $120/mo.
Quickly, I realized that the base package was $120/mo. but with all the add-ons that my parents wanted and deemed necessary, the rate jumped back up to $220 after the cost of equipment/HD channels/ multiple DVR receivers, etc.
So, if you're a kid who is trying to convince your parents to cut the cord, show this video to them. Adversely, if you're a parent who wants your kids to realize why you aren't cutting the cord, show this video to them.
Methodology:
Cable and satellite TV don't always compare apples to apples with each other, let alone with internet TV streaming providers. There are just too many variables that change the price, package, etc. to compare straight across.
So, for this review, we compare the prices over two years for the following TV providers:
Xfinity
DIRECTV
Spectrum
SlingTV
Hulu with Live TV
UA-cam TV
Ultimately, I've come to the conclusion that choosing cable, satellite, or live streaming TV is all about personal preferences.
You should ask yourself what matters most to you?
Contracts
Price
Channel count - total
Channel count - personal
Installation
Internet access
Simplicity (bundles - do I get a discount for bundling TV and the internet?)
Check out more videos here - • UA-cam TV vs Hulu Liv... - Наука та технологія
Leave a comment and tell us which you prefer, cable/satellite or a streaming option.
Reviews.org You talked about data caps, I don’t see a data cap with my Cable provider, or my Cellular ether.
I’m 70 years old and recently went from Directv which I have had since 1985 to UA-camTV and will never go back.
Streaming. If people are our age they should definitely jump on streaming since they save a lot more money as opposed to using traditional cable and satellite. My family upgraded to UA-cam TV back in January and we love it!
All i watch is UA-cam and its free easy cord cutting technique
You should put a youtube on your board with free not the tv part
Cheaper or not, no contracts, no installation appointments, no proprietary boxes, no customer service calls, no introductory rates that double... I’ll stick with streaming!
Amen!
Well you still have rising prices with most tv streaming services and if your like me chances are you are paying for more than one
Jay Preis - why install at all when you can just have? No contracts? You can thank streaming for that, cable couldn’t compete. Then you’ve got their box with that horrible interface.
I was paying $64 for DirecTV one month then suddenly it was $160 the next. I couldn’t take it. Streaming will rise, it already has but it’s still cheaper, better and I can switch service every month if I want. I switched my mom to streaming too she’s saving $200 over cox cable.
I seriously wouldn’t go back to cable or satellite if it was free. And if it was free, they’d still find a way to charge you.
Jay Preis - Speaking of cutting the crap.... lets look at Cox
Cox still requires 2 year contracts!
www.cox.com/aboutus/policies/service-agreement-24.html
And their own cable box and modem which they charge you for every month. You install it yourself once it arrives. Self installation fee $20
Cox gives new customers a $90 a month bundle that requires a 2 year agreement that doubles after the first year. Add taxes and fees and equipment charges. HD extra, DVR extra, Premium channels extra extra extra! www.cox.com/residential/pricing.html
Then there’s the bundled internet service. Even that sucks. More equipment fees, $20 again for self installation! Then there’s data limits adding more cost.
So your stuck paying all these fees and crap for 2 years as they raise your rate and they even charge you for your labor to install their equipment! If you don’t like it, tough! More fees to cancel! And they want it in writing.
And it’s all easier (according to you) than plugging in a Roku?You are completely nuts if you think Cox is cheaper, easier or better than streaming.
I did cut all this crap by cutting the cord.
You are right about the no contracts and streaming sloe bone. However I did miss my DirecTV, cause I like to have it on in tje back ground. So I turned it back on with a base package and one box. I pay about 50.00 right now. I'll probably set up my band dish AND get some free content when my contract runs out and use a variety of streaming, ota, AMD the band dish
The hard truth is doesn't matter what program you get it's still 250 channels and there's nothing on
Gretchen Murray yeah but you’re still paying an absurd amount of money for channels you’re not going to watch, and other packages won’t include channels you want to watch. They do this on purpose
What about sling TV is that any good looking to cut the cord once my contract is up in December
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
@Gretchen Murray "with just channels you must have". Nice arrangement of words. You must work for DishNetwork.
@Gretchen Murray I guarantee you that price quote is for a limited time. They've said the same to me when I stopped service with DishNetwork because Dish told me would take 6 weeks for them to have a service guy to be available in my rural area to fix my Dish after a thunderstorm. Fortunately, my high speed land line internet is capable of streaming tv.
I just care about not having a contract and no cable box. I like being able to cancel anytime without a fee.
$280 a month to $42, absolutely worth the trouble, plus we get a ton of more stuff. Cable sucks!
If you want a hundred shopping and religious channels and lots of things you would never actually watch, cable and satellite are for you! Money isn't an issue for me, but the attitude of cable providers who give you piles of garbage at a big cost is the problem. Streaming is smooth, efficient and gives you only what you want. I used cable for 30 years and don't miss it at all. Cost per channel is meaningless if you are paying for channels you don't watch!
Free movie and tv apps you pay $0 a month you just pay for the internet
@@jywisco6710 you're just a cable hater
Cable is even that much. Y'all complain about the many channels, but then want to say that streaming has more content.
@@IWantToMature85 If you give me piles of garbage it is still garbage. I used to buy DVD sets of my favorite shows, but now I can see them on a streaming service for about $15 a month. I pay for 6 streaming services and have hundreds of shows I really like at my fingertips for about $90 a month, much less than I used to pay for worthless shopping channels and other junk channels that I wouldn't watch even if you paid me.
He did not include the cost of renting cable equipment. 3 rooms (boxes) $24 month
Steven Ketterman you can buy your own modem & save $13 a month!
How many of those cable channels are
A) duplicates (HD vs non HD)
B) not real tv (QVC sales type channels)
C) music vs real tv
D) channels you don't need or want
With streaming you have the ability to shop around choosing to add or remove services as the desire moves you. Cord cutting will always be more economical. Sometimes the amount you save goes up or down but it's always cheaper. That's the advantage of streaming services. You shop around and get what serves you best. And as things change you change your choice. But until streaming came along, you had no choice. Most have one provider (if you're extremely lucky do might have two). I've been a cord cutter for a long time and I'll never go back.
Also...
With something like the new Disney streaming service, that could be the type of service you'll want to subscribe to every so often and then drop until you're in the mood again. That's another advantage to streaming.
Sorry but I can't agree with your analysis at all
Bill de Iturrondo it will not always be more economical. The companies that own the channels are almost all public and have revenue targets they need to hit for their investors. As traditional cable and satellite companies fade that money will have to come from OTT providers meaning that each successive carriage negotiation will demand increasing amounts of money from the Hulu’s and YTTVs of the world, which in turn will increase the price you pay. This is already happening with recent price increases almost across the board with all streaming providers. And this is the exact same sequence of events that resulted in cable becoming so expensive. Content owners are ALWAYS going to get paid their money
Sorry but it will because you now have a free market with streaming instead of of a monopolistic (or if your one of the few lucky ones oligopolistic) cable TV company. That's basic economics 😉
@@bdeitur Yes, but not at the national level.
@@jmy5123 Great analysis! :)
It still makes sense for old people. My cousin who lives across the country (he knew he wouldn’t be the one fixing it) somehow convinced my grandma (82) to start streaming though Spectrum on a Roku so she could get rid of the the cable box fees. Shit is absolute cancer for an old person, even for me (21) it was annoying af. I’m the closest (20 minutes) young relative who knows what they’re doing, so I had to go out there a couple times per week to “fix” something that was just 2 button clicks away.
Mind you I’m sure other streaming platforms are more intuitive and stable than Spectrum’s streaming service. But still old people get confused af when a remote only has 5-10 buttons.
$28 dollars a month for sling, opposed to $115 a month for satellite??
Easy decision!
Not totally because Sling does not offer PBS and YTTV does. Still saving a bundle with YTTV.
I got rid of DirecTV and got an antenna and all I have is Netflix and Amazon Prime and I am so happy I bought it Tableau for my DVR and I don't miss DirecTV or cable or anyting
I have DirecTV, I did cut them.off and did as you and did enjoy it, but I did miss my DirecTV. So I went back for a while with the base package, as a a new customer. I pay about 50 a month. I still keep Netflix, and hulu for when the weather blocks it out. I also only have 1 receiver, and I'm single so I'm not in most situations like alot of people.
smart choice.
Sounds like we do exactly the same thing.
Get yourself one of the amazon fire boxes that support hd antenna’s and dvr.
Good for you, because Netflix doesn't have all the entertainment that I like. Satellite TV and Blu-ray are better investment in my opinion.
We left Comcast cable last year, and we've NEVER looked back! I understand your parents' reasoning (I have an 80 year mother living with us), but I noticed one thing that was NOT addressed: how many of those numerous channels that they get do they ever watch? How many of those channels have they NEVER watched? If all the channels that they actually DO watch can be covered by a streaming service, then that's the way to go! Cable may be cheaper PER channel, but, when your end bill is LESS on a streaming service, and all your channels that you watch are provided, then streaming is obviously cheaper!
That's a good point.
Who do you use for internet?
Sonic at Sonic.net. We have s 1 gig fiber connection.
@@Cmrdata How fast & how much is it? 🤔
Our Sonic connection has a “1 gig” or “1000 megabit” speed. It costs us $100 per month. However, they do offer slower (but still very fast) connections for cheaper prices.
Paying for 400 channels I will never see is like buying a house with 20 rooms and living in only 8.
It makes no sense does it?!?
See! It doesn't make sense!?!?!? And Im crazy for streaming
Try two rooms. Pretty dumb huh. 🤔🤤🥴
Streaming goes toward your data cap on your internet
Exactly my thoughts. john R
NOT adding all the rentals, taxes and fees INVALIDATES all of this. They can easily double once you do that. Examples: +$12ish per cable box, +12ish per modem, +up to $20 for a version of an extended DVR, +$10ish for a "broadcast fee," +$12ish for a local sports fee, + various other local taxes and fees. Thats where the cord cutting saves. You are also double counting some channels when looking at cable/sat.
Had the same conversation with my in-laws recently. They're paying Spectrum $250/month and have TV in 3 rooms. Showed them UA-cam TV and let them play around with it for a week, and explained they could use it to get TV at their vacation house as well (where they're paying $89/month for satellite TV six months of the year). I'm now the favorite son-in-law ;)
😏
Good man!!
You can do that with xfinity I have the app on my phone.
Good job
*This video was made with the funding and supervision of Time Warner Lobbyists.
You're welcome, I made your disclaimer for you.
"Not adding installation fees,...just base cost"
And that's where your entire argument falls apart. The beauty of streaming services is that it doesn't have any hidden fees. Don't forget that in many states there's tax fees. In California, having cable gets me a "Video" fee for 10 dollars more a month and a "Regional Sports Fee" for 6+ dollars a month. Essentially, 16 dollars for two fees. That's not counting other garbage fees.
Yeah he was like it was to hard to add in. Just add X to the two year total. How hard is that?
Hes obviously trying to make cable seem better than it is. Very obviously. Very very obviously. Just shows that even if you try to make cable sound good and downplay the advantages of streaming, streaming still sounds way better. That's how bad cable is .
How the f does that work? there is a fee for watching sports tv?
@@KJ-nv9uz Its having a sports package on your cable service. Say you have NFL Sunday Ticket, you pay your service provider $40 for the package and the state charges $10 tax because you have a extra package on you cable.
I cut the cable cord forever ago and never looked back. I pay for internet, Netflix, Hulu, and Prime. I don’t need to have housewives or home flippers running in the background all day.
I bought a fire tv for Christmas, 1/2 way through my first month, the channels won’t connect & I’m having hit & miss connections PLUS I’ve hit my rate top, I guess because connection is sooooo slow. I’m ready to send it back & do without. Any suggestions ?
Cable and Satellite have a lot of garbage channels and pay per view channels so the chart is skewed. Streaming is cheaper. I have OTA tv antenna with dvr Recast, Roku, Fire stick, and apps like Roku, Tubi, Pluto(which just added more channels), Xumo, etc... and everything is free except for the equipment when you first buy it.
I do exactly what you do.
How much is it per month?
@@CarlosFlores-xb3gx These are all free (ad supported) channels.
@@hilaryweiner893 What about Recast, Roku, & Fire TV Stick?
@@CarlosFlores-xb3gx One time fee for product. They usually have sales like Black Friday, etc...
Went from 180 a month to 55 by canceling my DVR and cable. Very worth cutting. Even with UA-cam at 105 it's still much cheaper and I'm not losing much. I should thank of you for making UA-cam TV easier to understand and worth considering
For me there’s another factor: sharing. Until about a year ago I was paying both my own and my daughter’s cable packages. On top of that, we shared Netflix, basic Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Now I cut cable and added UA-cam TV and Philo. Once all costs are considered, including cable box, DVR, etc., I save about $80/mo over last year. That seems worth the effort for me.
They are starting to block sharing though.
How do you get internet for the streaming service? I would still have to use Comcast which would run about $90/mo.
Nancy Bruno $90?!?! Most internet stand alone I’ve seen is $60. Maybe you should shop around. AT&T has internet and I have never had an issue with streaming.
What advice do you have for someone who is on a really really tight budget
you forgetting the savings you get from electricity by unplugging the cable box Yep: energy. All in all, a set-top cable box with a DVR can consume as much as 35 kilowatt hours a month-meaning that it alone can account for $8 a month in electric bills so no scable box that saving and electricity
So with Spectrum you’re really paying $14 a box, not $6 a box.
Never thought of it that way. Make a lot of sense. Great observation!
35 kilowatts is only $5 month. That's negligible.....either way cable still isn't worth it.
How many more channels would you get if you add an antenna?
why do I feel like I need to tilt my head watching this, who did the camera work?
I went from $0/month watching antenna TV to $0/month watching no TV, worth it.
We use to pay $360/mo .. now we have more with NO Commercials and it cost $200/mo LESS. So it's about "Channels".. example, CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, etc with SD and HD counts as 2 Channels each (sometimes it's 3 or 4 duplicates of each), not to mention 30 or more music channels, and let's not forget the 30 channels of e.g. local "hair braiding or whatever." Nevermind, you need the "Supreme HD Package" for the 1 channel out of 40 you actually want to watch. Then if you want DVR, or have multiple TVs, etc the effective cost doubles.
My parents pay about 170 for there dish package, and 4 receivers. I only pay 50 as a new customer with DirecTV, with one receiver. And their base package. I do utilize hulu and Netflix some. Our internet out here is not as reliable as the satellite.
And I keep mine set to sd, cause I feel the HD is a hoax. Lol just something to make you spend more money. I also set up a motorized c band dish and get alot of free content legally.
@@ryanneel1029 .. The receivers especially DVRs alone were about a quarter of the cost. My old cable package included TV, Phone and Internet. I moved the phone lines to Google Voice with ObiTalk after a one-time $70 cost it's now free. Also we set up a new 2 year 150/150 Mbps for $45/mo. We have UA-cam TV, Philo and HULU Plus no commercials. Plus Netflix and Amazon Prime (primarily for free shipping).
@@DJaquithFL yes, dtv back in the 2000s, kept going up untill it hit 225 a month. My mother just cut it off. Right now like I say I'm only paying 50, for my service. But honestly, once this contract goes out, I'll go back to my big dish, and utilize more streaming. I'm just not quite ready to break the old school habits lol.
@@ryanneel1029 .. Our change was organic and not forced. We found we were using our credentials to stream our premium channels and a few others, we already had Netflix, Amazon and got hooked on no commercials especially after adding HULU Plus no commercials.
Then one day everyone my family all realized we weren't watching Cable TV except for e.g. morning news, etc.
My point is forcing a change is different than discovering a change.
I installed a small powerful antenna that gives me 70 channels and $25 Sling AirTV player, a box that comes free with 3 months subscription, streaming and local channels all combined in the box, now I'm saving $100 a month.
I have a question can you do a review on Pluto TV , is it a competitive to philo
No it is not competitive. We use both. They each have their strong points. Philo is live TV, has a built in DVR and is $20 per month. Pluto TV is usually playing shows that are off the air for 5 years or more but is free. It is now starting to add some live TV, weather and news stations. Because we have not had a typical LiveTV subscription in about 7 years most of the stuff on Pluto TV is new to us. Some true competitors to Pluto TV are Tubi, Filmrise and Xumo. All of those are free.
you left a very important option. not live streaming such as netflix, hulu, amazon prime. the 3 of them together is the cheapest price. live tv is a complete waste of time 99% of the time.
What about live sports & awards ceremonies like the Super Bowl & The Oscars?
@Wolf PAC, both the Super Bowl and the Oscars are available OTA. You just need an antenna.
@@sixletters9759 I didn't know that. Thank you.
Wolf PAC and even if they weren’t available through antenna I believe they are streamed through UA-cam TV.
Great job!!! Just found you today and subscribed!!! Great content my friend!!!
Did you subtract all the duplicate HD channels that traditional cable providers advertise to make up the bulk of the 140-235 qty of channels ?
I'm just seeing this. Is there something similar for the right now May 2020 COVID? I ask that because I'm moving in 2 weeks and debating on changing over since I have ATT Now. I feel like it's ok but wondering can I can something better with 85 channels of more at the same price point or better. I do not want to make a move if there is nothing better. But also the issue is good internet service. And here in NC SPectrum is what I have because I haven't found better. I know if I bundle it'll be better for the year but then the price will hike up. Also, I do not want equipment or cable box. They are too big and take up space. Please help and please advise.
Thanks for the very informative video. I’m 68 years old and I cut the cord about a year ago. I would never go back to regular TV ever again. It’s cheaper, better and has no commercials. Duh!
Roku smart TV & Fire stick TV saves on the hundreds of dollars spent on cable. I wouldn't go back to cable
I recommend Kodi, TV Tap, Mobdro and Redbox TV for your Firestick.
When you are doing your channel count for streaming you are forgetting about all the free channels. Crackle, PlutoTV, CWseed, Hoopla(library limited), are just a few. The other thing to keep in mind is adding OTA into the mix. You are also not mentioning the option of streaming rotation (3 month Netfix, 3 months Hulu, 3 months Amazon, 3 month CBS all access, or similar mix and match) , which gives you a huge selection(on a yearly basis) of new (to you) content at a low monthly cost.
I see in the comments that some people like cable because they like to leave the tv on all the time. I don’t understand this. Tvs only have a certain number of hours in them, why shorten the life span on an expensive appliance?
Right. Not to mention the cost of power usage.
For us it to save my neighbours from hearing my pup if I leave the house for any length of time. Guess who doesn’t bark if tv is on (maybe he thinks I’m still home)
Tried T-Mobile wireless high speed gateway. for internet ONLY. Speeds seemed to vary from 16 to 80 to 115 mbps. X-box seemed to glitch big time. WIFI to cell phones seemed to be sporadic. I have a very small house so distance shouldn't be the issue. The signal from whatever tower the signal was coming from was reading LOW - not the lowest reading, but LOW. I was trying to get rid of Xfinity for cost reasons but unfortunately didn't seem to meet my expectations. Anyone give me some input with this situation ??
Please provide an update as options, programs and costs have changed, thanks!
We pay $216 for phone, internet, and cable. We still need the landline. When I talk on the iphone, my mom complains about how much worse the connection is then on the landline. My husband won't switch to AT&T cable for any reduction of money because he has it at work and it is much slower. Trying to figure whether to stream tv but I don't know if my tv's are smart tv's.
You don't need a smart TV just get a Roku or any amazon fire and there you go.
What about internet data cap limit? This doesnt work for my family of 5, I already tried. I lowered my Xfinity bill to just about the same.
I wanted the same things that your parents wanted and held onto cable because I had to have my locals (at least the four major ones) because an antenna wasn’t an option for me and sports. However when Xfinity was going to raise my bill I sat down and wrote out all of the channels that I actually watched and compared all of the streaming companies. What I found was that I could get the multiple tv’s, DVR and all the channels that I actually watch with streaming and save $80 a month. I no longer have Philo but before UA-cam TV added channels I watch I found that combining those two have basically all the channels most people watch, flexibility and great DVRs.
How did you achieve keeping your DVR after canceling Xfinity or did I misunderstand? We have the Xfinity X1 platform with DVR plus cable on 5 TVs.
@@chalabrooks5433 both UA-cam TV and Philo have unlimited DVR's. UA-cam TV keeps your recordings for 9 months but I'm not sure how long Philo keeps them. You can also have different profiles for everyone in the home on both and that way everything is separated out.
Cord cutting can be just as expensive, depends on what services your subbing too. Netflix, amazon. Disney plus, Hulu, UA-cam tv or Hulu live.
You forget to add the cost of the internet when you factor the cost of the streaming service. The cable service will will have the internet included in there cost. My personal experience tells me to stay with cable for introductory then switch to another provider after two years. Some of those streaming service dont provide the network channels in there package. The cost of having internet only is almost the same price when you bundle and get cable channels, more by the way.
A huge part of the economics with cord cutting is with one's TV viewing preferences.
With me, I've "aged-out" for the appeal of mainstream TV shows/programs. In other words, programmers are producing content that will attract advertisers, and advertisers are targeting those consumers of an age range as young as 18 to as old as 54. So, the major TV networks produced shows that are geared to appeal to those in the age range of 18/25 ~ up to 54 year old individuals.
As myself being a baby-boomer, I'm well beyond 54 years of age, where I've found that nearly all of the programming contents from the major TV networks and cable channels are of no interest with me nowadays. So, the major TV programmers have done well to produce content for appeal up to 54 years of age for advertisers . . . as the bulk of primetime programming . . . save for "The Orville" on Fox, are of no interest to me.
What made for the easy transition with cutting the cord, where I live, is the plethora of Over-the-Air TV subchannels to be had. Between that, and the advent of TV converter boxes that can act as OTA DVRs via its USB port; and free streaming content venues such as UA-cam, I'm satisfied with my TV viewing choices and options without spending a dime.
The Orville 👍
The Orville will end up being better than Star Trek once it is all said and done.
Just stumbled on this video, I know it's 5 months old at the time of my viewing but,
the pricing chart that is shown is totally incorrect.
Basic Comcast Cable is approximately $ 100/mo, if you want digital preferred add $40 and this is for just the basic cable channels, no HBO, etc...
Most ISP charge $40~$50 for 60Mbp or better, then add $ 30 for a good streaming service
and it come out to less than $100. I really think that your video was sponsored by some sort of cable company, there's no way that cable can compete with streaming.
You have to factor in the cost of internet service, because you can't stream without it and most cable/sat providers offer some sort of discounted bundled TV/internet package. So you'll likely pay more for stand alone internet when you cancel your cable/sat service.
yea, that's the problem
and youd still come out cheaper than cable.
I'm a senior, and ready to cut the cord. I'm paying too much money for over half the stuff I don't even watch. It's confusing as to what to get next...
I only watch a handful of channels anyway. UA-cam Tv has all that i can ever want. Plus i can watch anywhere, whereas at home i wasn't watching at all and paying over 100.
Yep!! same here.
Same. If you can save, do it anyday/everyday. :)
@PJH199 1 Is it still $50 a month!??
One thing you didn't touch on is picture quality. I spoke with some folks on the Verizon FiOS Reddit and the comfirmed that the video feed is compressed and has less picture and sound quality than if you stream TV over the internet
I’m in process of downsizing from cackle $270 mo to streaming Roku & still love only a few reg channels, but less & less. Watching UA-cam more & more. Challenge, one still needs Wifi to stream. Any suggestions for good yet inexpensive WiFi?
When comparing my current cable service to satellite, I did what you did. I had to figure increased cost of internet with satellite since I was bundling with cable. Ends up cable is cheaper for me by about $23/mo plus I can stream on their app in place I don’t have a box. I did DirectvNow for a month but there is no way I can make that work now with their new channel lineups and prices.
Ok so on your chart as for channels when it comes to cable and Satellite tv are you going by their count cause most are double channels that are showing SD and HD. It is also impossible to get away from their nickel and dime you practice that cable and satellite TV does where Cord cutting gets away from it and yes you can save money.
Your right about by asking what are your priorities in your TV viewing habits.
Was thinking along the lines, that savings might not outweigh convenience. Great comparison chart. Thanks!
We talked about it, even looked into the cost. But after the introductory rate with Comcast (the only provider in my area for internet) once the promo price expires the difference was about $7 cheaper than our basic triple play. They wouldn’t let us get a cheaper internet package for “internet only” has to be a higher tier which makes it $125 a month. After paying for the services it’s not worth it.
This message goes to all the old heads around here. Keep in mind I am a cable technician. I do this for a living. Add up the cost per box rental. Thats an average of $10.00 and as much as $15.00 per month on equipment rental, per month. Most consumers are averaging two boxes a house hold, if not more. That's $30.00 per month off top. Broadcast fee's, FCC taxes, taxes and all the other shit that cable providers MUST charge you can add up to close to $30.00 per month. They are not robbing you, either. Now, goes Buba! Channel line up packages. They can cost anywhere from $70.00 to as much as $130.00, just off the damn channels! If you chose television broadcast streaming protocol, you use your own equiment which pays for itself after one to two months, in itself. The most you'll pay to stream channels is up to $80.00. No other fees and shit, because you'll pay what you pay a month. The money wasted is the shit you don't watch. Like Tobias also said, you're paying for duplicate channel! FACTS!! You're paying for something that you can technically get for free. HD source is free! HD is HD! If you stream tv, you'll automatically get HD like it's nothing. The bottom line is you're wasting money with legacy cable system today.
I don't watch cable. I only have a cable subscription because my elderly father watches cable TV. He doesn't even watch many things (only a handful of channels). I pay $106/mo for this service (everything included). I'm wondering what alternative would be good for the following priorities. 1) Low monthly payment 2) Local news + a handful of channels (NBA, Nat Geo, whatever channel shark tank is on, and whatever channel Forensic Files is on). 3) DVR service. Do any of the streaming services do this well?? I installed my cable company's (Spectrum) smart TV app (SpectrumTV). The app crashes, the audio de-syncs, and I get poor quality video. Even though it's HD, you can tell it's a stream vs the actual cable TV. I get vertical sync tearing, and it's just not responsive or usable. I wouldn't want to cut the cable based on the experience with the streaming app. I want something fast/responsive/a replacement to cable TV, if that even exists.
How many of those cable channels are you actually watching though?
Doesn't the answer really depend on what streaming service you get and if you choose to get multiple
I got Hulu live and Netflix around 2 years ago and I’ve loved it, sad part is I live in a area with horrible WiFi so I’m constantly watching it in my phone but am hoping to soon be moving and will have spectrum so I can’t wait to get the full affect
As someone who has cut the cord. We went from over $200 a month with spectrum with one DVR and one regular box. We now spend less than $100 a month, spectrum streaming service, and internet.
I'm 52...had cable for years, then switched to satellite for a decade and a half up till a few years ago. When my Dish bill went up 5 bucks to put me at $145/month, I decided to at least give streaming a trial run. Wasn't expecting too much, but now I can't imagine EVER going back to satellite. I always keep my bill to an average of $60/month, am able to switch services or change up my programming at will, get terrific picture quality, and still have some form of DVR with each service. The only thing I kinda miss is Dish's rock-solid DVR, but all these cloud-based DVR's are still pretty dang good.
Great video. We have DirecTV and pay for 100's of channels we never watch. Challenges I'm seeing with streaming is video quality (e.g., on a 4k TV), getting all the channels we do watch (e.g., Hallmark), # of devices that can stream at the same time, DVR options, and still having a guide for the live channels.
Great review. At last a review that’s honest. I have xfinity cable, internet and cell service so I’m paying $120.00 per month for all that with dvr in multiple rooms. Again, great review.
Excellent presentation you are correct, cable fees vs cord cutting is a matter of prioritizing. If you want every channel all the time keep cable. If you want to stay within a budget, think (prioritize) what channels are most important select a streaming service. It is difficult to change and set it up yourself, but with a little initiative cutting the cord makes dollars and sense.
We have Xfinity with 220 channels and 150mbps internet. In total we pay $124 a month. We have our own modem and router ( not renting ), and we use roku's with the Xfinity stream app which doesn't eat in to your data cap.
Where I live it's Charter Spectrum. They do unlimited internet. They have bundles but the price is only for a year. It's pretty cheap so if I did ever want cable again I'd probably get that for a year and then do streaming
You can share streaming service such as UA-cam TV can be shared between 3 people, which brings down the price to $16.66 per month
I am an old geezer probably much like your parents. I am kind of a techy though so I compared everything and after my last Comcast bill showed $175 per month I had enough.
I found out that TMO had a sweet deal of $10 off each month for 12 months on YTTV. I told my wife we would save about $70 a month the first year and then $60 a month going forward after that. She was sold.
I showed her the YTTV interface and she said okay after we compared the video of Comcast with YTTV.
A year ago I might not have done this as the cable bill seemed okay. Another $22 took me over the edge.
So long Comcast. I'm glad I knew you, but hello YTTV.
Love this video. Here is a hint if it is your area, buy a TIVO box or a DVR. They are not that pricey. The cable company can lease you a cable card that has all the channels that are in your package. But double check though. You wouldn't have to pay for the DVR through the cable company 100 times over. My cable company has the smart TV package for 40 a month. Then you can use the anywhere app and log in with your credentials
I cut the cord about 4 months ago. Im happy with my new streaming service. Now the downside, since my whole family streams, we almost hit our data caps every month now.
Getting used to streaming took a few months been on direct TV now but after the price hike moving over to UA-cam TV , more channels less monthly cost. I had dish and their lower tier packages and to get all the channels I wanted I had to pay around $125 a month a lot more than with the streaming options. Never going back to contracts
At one point my cable bill was $700. Now I don't subscribe to anything and don't miss it at all = $0.00 expense.
No! Please put out a HUGE CORRECTION to your price per channel.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND that that number is false based on the fact that those channel numbers include duplicates. That means that standard CBS and HD CBS get counted as TWO SEPARATE CHANNELS!!
That lowers the number considerably and they know it.
That's all.
Streaming does save a considerable amount of money regulardless of the tricks cable providers implement.
All that plus rental fees for bullshit equipment.
Please consider these things for a correction video. Misinformation on this topic is incredibly dangerous for someone researching the subject.
Other sources of misinformation is CNN news, MSNBC news.
@@oldarkie3880 oh and I guess your gonna say Fox news is a legit channel 😆😅😂🤣🤣, if you're on the Trump train. but I will say this week a couple of fox anchors did confront Trump's agenda for the truth. they couldn't get a straight answer either just like CNN, food is have sorry beginning a legit new source but the have light years to go. me, I watch them all and I it's sad that the trumpersvv believe God is the only one change telling the truth when every other news source comes up with the same answers that tells me the one with the only one having an answer that is against all other news sources that they are full of shit. expand your mind dude, no disrespect but one person comes to you with the one and only answer that I is opposite of the 20 other guys you sent out looking for the same information I'm gonna believe there ones that have the most saying the same thing. I hope I explained that right. if anyone else can out into words what I'm trying to say and make it less complicated for food news believers please do so. I sure hope you find the truth sir and you're not gonna find it in Fox
@@STABB1NGW3STWARD finding the truth anywhere is quite difficult.
I stream and use Spectrum Internet at $50. They just started selling a stripped down streaming package that has local channels and a few others. Promo price was like 15 after promo 25.
I understand skipping the optional costs and not trying to weigh personal choices, but your chart of costs should at least be a true comparison for the bare minimum service on one TV. And your chart does not include all MANDATORY cable costs you will pay.
You cannot just use advertised new customer special pricing for cable because it doesn't include mandatory costs that will be included in what you actually pay. For example, your chart uses $45/125 channels for Spectrum and neglects a couple things hidden by the * on those advertised prices. Primarily, the advertised price is only good for the first 12 months, not the full 2 years as you assumed in your calculation. The channel count includes locals which is an extra $12 mandatory fee on top of the advertised $45. Similarly, you are going to need to include hardware fees for at least 1 TV and those are not included in the advertised price either even though the * says "TV equipment required". An accurate cost/channel calculation needs to include ALL the costs needed to get those channels on a single TV. The streaming service costs in your chart reflect this but the cable service costs used do not.
If you add in all the mandatory costs for Spectrum Select ($12 for locals, $8 for one box, full $70 price for second 12 months) the 2 year cost rises to $1860 and those same 125 channels now cost $14.88 each.
Your cost per channel calculation is also distorted by the how the advertised count for the number of channels is not the same. The benefit of including music channels in your cable channel count is one of the choice type benefits that can rightly be skipped. Cable channels also use numerous channels for On Demand content and count multiple time zones of the same channel which artificially bumps up the cable channel count. Streaming services only live stream a single time zone of any channel since the content is available on demand at any time. And they do not include any On Demand content in their channel counts. Again, for a true apples to apples comparison, only the actual number of different content providers on each service should be used when doing a cost/channel analysis.
Once we do the same analysis of the number of actual channels (counting non-duplicates on the Spectrum Select for my address), that advertised 125 drops down to 92 and now costs you $20.22 each. So if you do an actual apples to apples comparison, the cheapest cable plan on your chart costs 12% more than the most expensive streaming plan and 74% more than the cheapest.
Dropped Time cable+slow internet $100 mo, for AT&T fiber optics internet for $40 a month. Antenna in my attic have over the air TV. Added DVR tuner. Watch OTA, Recorded OTA or UA-cam.
We were paying about $230 month for internet and 3 cable boxes from frontier. With internet, UA-cam TV and Netflix we pay about $125, and can watch TV practically anywhere.
Internet service: $45 a month, Dongle for 3 TVs: $40 each/ $120 total one-time, App for dongles giving 750 channels with major networks: Free.
Cost for cable service: $250/mo.
Ability to give Cable Companies the finger: Priceless.
I do have 5 tv's. Only one all day. I have Spetrum. I am trying to do cost of Amazon prime, and firestick. I do watch a lot of u tube but free. No subscription and as long as I am on WiFi I don't get charged data. Have you ever tried doing cost on just this. Also Netflix.
What if you are older, proactive, knowledgeable & savvy on your own?
The problem with the streaming option (and you didn’t mention this) is that the high speed internet is extra. And as much as the service itself (!)) The cable/satellite services provide the internet at reduced cost when bundled. You’ll still need them when streaming with a different provider and that cost has to be added in.
My fellow Americans this is clearly a paid advertisement that this person is not disclosing disregard all of their information continue about your day
After finally upgrading to a smart tv I decided to cut the cord. I cancelled cable and landline but kept the 1gig internet service. My bill dropped from $165 to $70/month. But here's the thing: I never watched a lot of channels - mostly news, AMC and maybe three or four others. So for me cutting the cord made sense. I'm also amazed at the variety of free (and much more interesting!) streaming content: Pluto, Cracked, Tubi, UA-cam and much more. The traditional cable companies are absolutely feeling the pressure and some are developing a la carte pricing structures to stay competitive. It does take some getting used to going from numbered cable channel remote to a (Samsung) numberless remote with bixby. But for me it's worth it.
A lot of those channels for example Directv can be two of or a lot of music channels and other channels like QVC. So saying you have the most channels. OK fine but really how do music channels and like having two TNTs or two TBS or whatever?
I was paying $190 for Directv. I now pay $63 a month for sling TV. I'm saving $127 a month. I have spectrum. And no data Cap. Plus I get every channel I need. Care about.
that's a huge savings works out good for you sucks for spectrum because now they have to supply you at least double the amount of internet
@@mack2771 I get the same amount of Internet from spectrum. As I did before. $65 a month. For 100 Meg's.
because Spectrum agreed to no data caps for 7 years since merger or they would have data cap just like Xfinity/COX,AT&T
@@jaggsta 4 most truly unlimited is just a term. I honestly don't care if mine's unlimited or 100 GB based on my own personal usage. I think people generally used tons of internet and all of it they don't have to use for example they leave a streaming television show playing even when they're not watching it leave the house and leave the TV playing your stupid stuff. honestly though I do wonder if spectrum has ever come across any condition problems with all the streaming crap that's going on now. Of course I guess if they can offer 940 megabits per second to one customer they probably don't have to worry about this too much but I still wonder. however they have all screwed themselves by pricing cable ridiculous prices there's no way I'm paying $200 a month for no cable. However I do still prefer traditional cable and even prefer my free over The air HD antenna because I'm not clogging up the pipes so to speak. now in terms of the data cap one terabyte is a whole crapload of data and honestly if you're using that much data then I don't really see the problem with them charging you a little bit extra because you're using the tar out of their Network or their infrastructure. That may be more of a concern on my company like spectrum where you may share with your neighbors but I don't know how many one line would hold anyway don't know how that works. that does seem to be less of a concern no with AT&t since as I understand it it's on its own tap so you're not congesting others even if you use 25 billion terabytes. Like I said though I don't use a terabyte of Internet even in a year so the in my mind there's no reason to use it in a month. Even my mom and stepdad who stream TV shows not live that often but they do have the capability with two televisions they generally only use about 300gb. I think with two of them that watch a lot of TV excetera Netflix in other shows I think they would use about 200 even without life but still if every customer is using an extra hundred gigabytes or so a month I can see problems down the road. in a way it's very unfair to the cable companies that are still having to provide the internet but you're leaving cable putting more strain on their internet connection and giving them less money because you dropped the cable.
I find that after you pay $50-60 for internet service and anywhere from $15-$50 for each additional service needed to compliment your old cable service cost streaming is a lot higher than just cutting a deal with the cable provider.. I find that my situation needed to have wireless on additional tv’s and only att U-verse offers that. For the u300 tv schedule and additional showtime and starz package I just worked a deal with them for $115 a month this was after being jacked to $195 at the end of my last 1 year package deal which started at $165 worked it’s way up to $175 and then $195. So they are willing to help out existing customers. I don’t think streaming is up to par with direct cable yet maybe someday but the pixeling and other issues doesn’t make for great viewing in my estimation.
Xfinity charges Broadcast Fee and Sports Fee for TV so add another $10-$20 ontop of the TV plans.
I was paying over $170 a month for tv and internet with Comcast. I recently dropped to local basic and kept my internet as is and subscribed to Philo. Im gettting 58 channels for $20 a mnth. I'm now paying less than $100 a month and still getting all the channels I want. Sidenote: Comcast no longer chargers monthly for the digital tv box for the 1st 2 boxes but any others are .50 cents a month. I plan to get my own router cable modem box soon which will drop my bill another $13 a month.
the problem I found was streaming is that you have to have internet and if all you have is internet for your local provider they go up on the price and if you streaming HD on three or four sets or more then you have to pay for unlimited data Plus streaming services and it comes out way more money a month and the picture quality is not as good especially when you have a 4K TV
I prefer streaming. I have Amazon prime and philo and I love it.
Is streaming TV needs Smart TV?And Android TV?
Nope, you can buy a Roku
Pros & cons for both but we were paying $200 for a bundle service: internet/cable/landline... about 35% was going to box fees & taxes! Since cord cutting we've cut it down about $100, switched our landline to Magic Jack phone service for $3/month. We had UA-camTv at first but canceled as soon as the monthly price increase and went with another cheaper service... new setup took 20 min max. I'll take steaming over cable anyday IMO.
I think the channel count comparison is skewed. I have spectrum and my "cable count" is a very long list of repeated channels and music channels. I have never listened to the music and they are annoying when flipping through. I also have about 3 channels for each network. I have one analog, one digital and one HD. It's not really useful to list "number of channels" when a person only uses maybe 10 on average (a guess).
The sound quality sucks on the music channels even if you like them. Not even as good as normal broadcast
Why does the videp setup remind me of Game Theory?
Idk where you guys live but I have spectrum and it’s 90.00 for tv and internet. 220 for tv??? No chance I would ever pay that
I realize this vid is about cost. But what about portability? I watched 3 games last night on direct tv stream on 3 separate devices at the same time outside on my patio.
I agree, your style of TV watching is important. Before we switched my family would leave the TV on just as background noise. Often they would fall asleep to it as well leaving the TV on all night. The 1st month we were way over our data cap. We had to adjust our style in order to save some money. Now we turn the TV off if we are not actively watching and with Google WiFi at a certain time at night, the Roku's are blocked from the internet thus preventing the TV's from running all night.
Perhaps, for some people, the ultimate goal is not saving monthly $. For me, the ultimate goal is to eliminate commercial advertisements on my television programming by paying a fee for it. However, saving money is also a driving factor for me as well. Unfortunately, I must still maintain a minimum cable package with my cable provider, AT&T UVERSE, in order to allow you to access certain channels on my Apple TV that would not be available to be without a cable subscription. I have not found a way around this, although I would happily pay for individual channels rather than paying my monthly cable bill. Thanks again for a great content! Take good care, ~Antonio
I can't get local channels where I live so that's a deal breaker. I don't want to mess with an antenna and switching back and forth between inputs. I doubt the picture quality is as good as DirectTv or consistently as good. And I'm no DirectV fan either. It's just my best option at this point.