If you are reading this, you may be wondering where to begin with cutting the cable cord… I know that there are a lot of you out there who are still paying exorbitant cable bills and you feel like your hands are tied. Perhaps you are like I was and you simply don’t know where to begin with the process? Maybe you feel like you risk losing some of your favorite channels? When is the right time to make the change and what steps will you follow?
You are correct that the process can be a bit overwhelming but if you can take the time to follow through these steps soon you can be on the other side of the exorbitant cable bills too! Join myself, and many of your friends and neighbors and save some money today.
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Step 1: Understand Your Internet Options
If you do a Google search you should be able to determine the availability of internet only packages in your area. Inquire with each of these providers for pricing, and information on the internet speeds available. Your goal here is to ensure that you gain access to a high speed internet service that can support streaming video on multiple devices in your home. My research shows that many homes that will potentially have multiple people streaming on multiple devices will want to have an internet service that can provide at least 50 Mbps speed. Feel free to do your own research here to see what speed will be sufficient for your own families usage. If your market is limited (like mine is) you may find that you will need to stick with the same provider and change your existing service to internet only. In this case, you will likely also find that by not being a new customer, you will not qualify for new customer promotional rates for internet only packages.
For example, here in Maine, Spectrum pretty much monopolizes the cable and internet market. I was not able to find a sufficient internet service elsewhere so we joined Spectrum. Fortunately for us, we had just moved back to Maine and we did qualify for a new customer promotional rate for a year. It was something like $45 monthly. We now pay the regular rate of approximately $70 monthly. If you are in Maine and thinking of cutting the cord, chances are that you are an existing Spectrum customer. In your case, when budgeting for your internet cost, you will want to assume that you will be paying the regular rate too. Regardless, when deciding if cutting the cord is right for you, you may want to budget for the non-promotional rate to get a better idea of the big picture savings.
Step 2: Make a List of Must-Have TV Channels
If you have waited this long to jump on the cable-cutting wagon I think it is safe to assume that you like having access to live TV, so please don’t mind if I make the assumption here that you would like a live TV streaming service. I suggest polling your family next to determine the channels that are must-haves. Make a list of these channels so that you can effectively research the live TV streaming services that are available to you. In our case, my husband needed to have his local sports channels. This was really our only area where we would not budge.
The good news is, regardless of what your family’s needs are, with all of the live streaming services available to you today, you should be able to find a service that offers most if not all of your favorite channels, meaning there is hardly any sacrifice to be made.
Step 3: Research Your Streaming Services
A quick Google search will return results of the available streaming services for you. I suggest looking for the answers to the following questions:
- Do they offer your family’s favorite channels?
- Is the price right?
- How many devices can you stream on your account at once?
- Can you record your favorite shows?
- If so, how much storage space will you have and how long will recordings be available for?
To help a bit, I am providing a current list of the top 3 streaming services that I am familiar with including a short blurb of what I know about them/ how they differ from each other, etc. I do have experience with each of these in some way.
YouTube TV– This is what we currently have, so yes, this also means it has the local sports channels in Maine. As of today it is $49.99 per month, so it’s not the cheapest option, but pretty comprehensive in terms of replicating what you might have for channels that you actually watch on cable. Also nice to have the local news channels too. I record most of my shows so I definitely enjoy the unlimited storage space for recordings and multiple can record simultaneously too. Recordings are then available for 9 months. You can have up to 6 accounts, but just note that only 3 devices can stream your service simultaneously. It as a pretty impressive TV guide with pictures and is customizable to your favorites. No hidden fees and no contract, so you can cancel anytime.
Hulu Plus Live TV– When I helped my mom to cut the cord this year, I assumed that we would get her set up with YouTube TV as well, but then I realized that it was not going to work as well for her because they have so many TVs in her house that need to be able to stream simultaneously. Thankfully Hulu rolled out an add-on this year where you can watch on unlimited screens at home (and 3 screens simultaneously on the go). If you have a large household, than this may just be the best option for you too so you don’t have to worry about someone’s session being booted if you have too many TVs going at once. The base price is $44.95, and last I checked it was an extra $10 for the unlimited screen add-on. They offer a week free trial. My mom enjoys the channel line-up with Hulu, but she enjoys the guide on YouTube TV more. They also use my YouTube Account on their primary television to make up for Hulus missing local station, WGME 13. As far as DVR service is concerned, you get 50 hours of storage but I don’t think it expires. There is also an add-on to expand that storage if needed.
Sling TV– This is the last stand out option that I am familiar with as we have participate in a trial offer. It offers a decent channel selection, especially if you purchase Sling Orange + Blue, and even then it is only $40 per month, but you may end up missing a couple of the local channels. They support up to 4 simultaneous streams. If you register and prepay for 2 months they will give you a Roku Express for free. Sling also has some HD antennas available to address the local channel availability issue. While this is not the Roku model that I recommend for your primary television, it is a perfectly fine option for a TV that you don’t use all the time. 50 hours of cloud DVR service can be added on for $5 monthly.
Now you have the information that you need to do the math and decide if cutting the cable cord will save you enough money to make it worth it. Now that you know what your savings will be and what services are available you should be able to make an informed decision. Congrats on being 1 step closer to the goal!
Step 4: Determine How You Will Stream
Chances are that you will need to purchase a device to stream to your TV. In our experience, even most smart TVs with access to the web and apps don’t have access to these live streaming apps. If you are not sure, check your TVs now to see if you can access your preferred app. If not, I suggest purchasing a Roku Streaming Player.
There are several Roku models to choose from, and thankfully, there is a solution that will work for pretty much any TV. For most modern TVs, I suggest purchasing the Roku Streaming Stick Plus, this allows you to have a remote control that takes over your TV and allows you to power it on and off and control the volume. Each of the lesser models will require you to operate 2 remote controls, which is not ideal, but probably acceptable on a TV that you use less often. Additionally, what I like about this remote is that it requires you to point it towards the TV (as you are used to doing) to turn it off and on, where the other lesser Roku remotes will turn the TV on and off and the channel no matter which direction you point them in. You would be surprised how often you hit these buttons on your remote accidentally otherwise.
You may find that you have some older TVs in your home that do not have an HDMI input, and for those you will need a Roku Express for compatibility.
Once your Rokus are in, set them up. You may find that you need additional cords to set them up, for example, we had to purchase a long male/female HDMI cable for one TV that was wall mounted since there was not adequate space behind the TV to plug in the Roku. Most TV setups are pretty straight forward, but few may present some challenges. Better to address this now.
Step 5: Test Drive a Streaming Service
If possible, do a trial of the streaming TV service that you plan to select. Occasionally the streaming apps will be a bit unclear on channel offerings and they may say you get a particular channel but then it still may not be offered in your particular market. This happened to us with Playstation Vue, they said we would get NESN but the channel did not work in our region. This was a dealbreaker for us that ultimately led to us canceling and picking up YouTube TV. (Note: Playstation Vue streaming service will no longer be available in 2020)
Step 6: Set Up Your New Internet Service
Work with your internet service provider to set up your new Internet Service, if necessary. Check that your streaming works well with the new internet service. Test this by streaming multiple devices at once.
Step 7: Cancel the Cable
Go ahead. Cut that cord now. You should be confident at this point, having followed the process described above, that all you need is internet. In the process of cancel, be careful not to be sold by the cable company on any bundles or streaming services that they provide. Don’t lose sight of the goal.
Don’t look back. You and your family will adjust to the new streaming service app. They will love being able to watch their shows from multiple devices in various locations. Depending on the streaming service that you choose, you will likely have new features that members of your family actually use that you didn’t have access to before. It’s truly a win-win. If you don’t like your streaming service, try a different one next month.
