Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) - 2021 version

[pb4uski]

....I saw that CBS All Access is going away and will now be part of the "Paramount +" streaming service. I was already annoyed at CBS since their shows CANNOT be watched commercial free unless you DVR it or have their streaming service. ...

Not true... CBS All-Access offers commercial-free viewing for $10/month.

The base CBS All Access plan costs $5.99 per month, but to get rid of commercials, you need to pay for the $9.99-per-month, commercial-free version. However, this option doesn't exempt you from advertisements while watching live TV or the so-called promotional messaging that accompanies select programming.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Not true... CBS All-Access offers commercial-free viewing for $10/month.

You made my point for me. I said that you CANNOT watch CBS shows without commercials unless you have CBS All Access (soon to be Paramount Plus) or use a DVR and FF through them. A review of what I DID WRITE:

I saw that CBS All Access is going away and will now be part of the "Paramount +" streaming service. I was already annoyed at CBS since their shows CANNOT be watched commercial free unless you DVR it or have their streaming service.

 

[Dreamer]

We went from CBS All Access (I did not like not having a DVR) to Hulu Live and then Hulu Live No Ads. I did not like still having ads for some of the on demand shows and no way to fast forward through them. We went back to You Tube TV a few days ago. We still have Netflix and Amazon too. DH said we might as well spend our money on TV, since we are not spending it on other things right now.

 

[pb4uski]

You made my point for me. I said that you CANNOT watch CBS shows without commercials unless you have CBS All Access (soon to be Paramount Plus) or use a DVR and FF through them. A review of what I DID WRITE:

Ok, I misread it... but what would made you think that you should be able to watch CBS shows without commercials without a DVR and FF through them or without CBS All-Access.

I'm not aware of any way to watch TV and skip commercials other than a DVR and FF through commercials or the network's proprietary streaming service.

The same could be said of NBC... you can't watch NBC shows unless you use a DVR and FF through the commercials or you subscribe to Peacock without commercials (and extra $5 as well).... so does that mean that you are annoyed at NBC too?

We all need to pay somehow... even those with "free" OTA have to pay be either watching live and watching the commercials or having a DVR and FF through the commercials... there is no free lunch.

 

[Golden sunsets]

That may work some places, or for a few years, if you’re a shrewd negotiator willing to cancel, but it doesn’t work eventually. If you’re in a market with one provider, as some/many are, it won’t work. If you’re not at the end of your contract, there are usually $ penalties dropping mid contract, so it won’t work. I was able to get new customer rates switching from Direct TV to Dish, and threatening to leave for a couple years, but eventually they wouldn’t negotiate - that’s when we cut the cord and went to all streaming. Providers aren’t stupid...

I don't buy your logic Midpack. Are the cable providers going to refuse to let you come back as a "new customer" indefinitely? I doubt it. Having to turn in your equipment and cancel your service for 31 days is onerous enough to discourage most people from using this method to keep their costs down. And what contracts are you talking about? We have no contract with a cable company. We do turn in our cable box every year, when we leave for the winter and sign up again upon our return and get new customer pricing. It makes sense for us and probably saves us $1,200 a year. But most folks won't go through those hoops unless they are absent from their homes for 30+ days a year.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Ok, I misread it... but what would made you think that you should be able to watch CBS shows without commercials without a DVR and FF through them or without CBS All-Access.

Perhaps because there are several networks that are available WITHOUT COMMERICIALS on Hulu (depending on subscription level) such as ABC (oh...and NBC)?

I am not asking for a free lunch, I know there isn't such a thing. I would just like to STOP being fleeced. It's already been discussed that the "new way" to see EVERYTHING a content owner has available is the Discovery Plus business model...a cable subscription AND a streaming service.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

...And what contracts are you talking about? We have no contract with a cable company. We do turn in our cable box every year, when we leave for the winter and sign up again upon our return and get new customer pricing...

The cable companies I am familiar with (Xfinity aka Comcast and Cox) all use a contract to make the "best" deal available. Usually a two year term with a tiered cancellation fee.

 

[pb4uski]

Perhaps because there are several networks that are available WITHOUT COMMERICIALS on Hulu (depending on subscription level) such as ABC (oh...and NBC)?...

The fact that both Hulu and ABC are owned by Disney might have something to do with it.

If you have OTA and want to watch network TV commercial free the best solution is an OTA DVR.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

The fact that both Hulu and ABC are owned by Disney might have something to do with it.

If you have OTA and want to watch network TV commercial free the best solution is an OTA DVR.

Distinct possibility (re: DIS and ABC) but doesn't explain NBC or others...but I assume that it won't be too much longer before they pull the "commercial free" option from Hulu as well.

I am in the same boat as some other posters...DW is the impediment. If it was just me, I would only have OTA and whatever I could get on AMZN as I don't watch a helluva lot of TV. But, a happy wife makes for a happy hubby.

 

[ncbill]

Easy enough to pick & choose...e.g. for British TV shows pick either Acorn or Britbox to start, watch what you want, then drop it in favor of the other service.

Can do the same for Netflix, CBS All Access, Disney+, HBOMax, etc.

Heck, you can share logins with others and cut costs that way..."Jenny, you subscribe to Netflix, I'll do Disney+, Jim CBS AA, Jerry HBOMax"

Much easier than turning in cable equipment, then waiting a month or two to signup as a new customer again...here they physically disconnect the coax cable to your home so it requires a "truck roll" to get connected again.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Easy enough to pick & choose...e.g. for British TV shows pick either Acorn or Britbox to start, watch what you want, then drop it in favor of the other service.

Can do the same for Netflix, CBS All Access, Disney+, HBOMax, etc.

Heck, you can share logins with others and cut costs that way..."Jenny, you subscribe to Netflix, I'll do Disney+, Jim CBS AA, Jerry HBOMax"

Much easier than turning in cable equipment, then waiting a month or two to signup as a new customer again...here they physically disconnect the coax cable to your home so it requires a "truck roll" to get connected again.

We currently have a traditional cable subscription (contract on a two year deal) but that will be expiring soon. We now have fiber in the 'hood thanks to our electric co-op and the price is quite good...and they have two TV packages available too that is priced decently, so might give that a try. A couple of neighbors have it and seem to love it.

I like the idea of saving money by cord cutting, but at this point in my life, I prefer simplicity, and having 14 different streaming services is just a pain in my arse.

 

[JoeWras]

Philo finally added a live weather channel to their lineup today. They are using Accuweather's live feed.

 

[pb4uski]

... I like the idea of saving money by cord cutting, but at this point in my life, I prefer simplicity, and having 14 different streaming services is just a pain in my arse.

You could just go with one streaming with live TV package.... we used YTTV last summer... IME a very cable-like experience for $65/month includes unlimited cloud DVR and 3 simultaneous streams... also in our case a "one-remote" solution since we have Fire TV sticks for each of our 4 TVs.

We would have stayed with YTTV because we liked it but when they raised the price from $50 to $65 last summer I got pissed and explored other options... ultimately we found out that we could get OTA are our summer home where we didn't think that we could... so we went with OTA with an OTA DVR instead ($0/month). Had that OTA opportunity not happened we probably would have just sucked it up and paid the extra $15/month.

I understand that Hulu with Live TV and Fubo are also similiar cable-like experience for a little less per month.

 

[Midpack]

I like the idea of saving money by cord cutting, but at this point in my life, I prefer simplicity, and having 14 different streaming services is just a pain in my arse.

Whatever you choose is fine, but that’s a gross exaggeration of streaming options. Hulu+Live, YTTV and Fubo TV each provide an experience nearly identical (channels, UI, DVR, etc.) to the major cable or satellite services, still at a substantially lower price for multi TV households - and without any contracts.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Whatever you choose is fine, but that’s a gross exaggeration of streaming options. Hulu+Live, YTTV and Fubo TV each provide an experience nearly identical (channels, UI, DVR, etc.) to the major cable or satellite services, still at a substantially lower price for multi TV households - and without any contracts.

Is it though? I said 14 and while I was being sarcastic, I don't think it would be hard to list 14 streaming services.

It's not my intention to make this thread like the Tesla threads, so I will take any more critiques of "cutting the cord" to the pet peeve of the day thread.

 

[JoeWras]

Let me try, off the top of my head. Seriously.
Philo
YTTV
Hulu
Hulu+live (are those two?)
Fubo
Tubi
Pluto
Weathernation
Xumo
Stirr
CuriosityStream
Disney+
Discovery+
CBS All Access
Peacock

I did it! More than 14. No cheating either.

*EDIT: I had Tubi twice. I still think I met requirements, even if we roll Hulu and Hulu+Live into one.

I'm just playing along. I see both sides. When I had YTTV, I rarely watched anything else. Once I dropped it, I found myself going to a handful (Philo, Pluto, Tubi, Weathernation and CuriosityStream).

 

[Gumby]

PBS Passport

 

[SmallCityDave]

Whatever you choose is fine, but that’s a gross exaggeration of streaming options. Hulu+Live, YTTV and Fubo TV each provide an experience nearly identical (channels, UI, DVR, etc.) to the major cable or satellite services, still at a substantially lower price for multi TV households - and without any contracts.

He does make a point, I cut the cord almost 2 years ago and I've tried just about all the streaming service providers I hate to say it but I'm considering going back. I currently have YTTV and it's good enough but for $5 more I get about 100 more channels with Dish...


After trying the vast majority of them they all have their advantages/disadvantage plus their learning curve it may be good to stick with something for a few years and just be done with it. I do hate the literal cord though....


Best value out there is Philo but wanting nbcsn,nbc, fox and fs1 gets expensive.

 

[pb4uski]

Well, you won't have to worry about NBCSN because it is being phased out soon...NBCSN content will move to Peacock and/or USA Network.

 

[Midpack]

He does make a point, I cut the cord almost 2 years ago and I've tried just about all the streaming service providers I hate to say it but I'm considering going back. I currently have YTTV and it's good enough but for $5 more I get about 100 more channels with Dish...


After trying the vast majority of them they all have their advantages/disadvantage plus their learning curve it may be good to stick with something for a few years and just be done with it. I do hate the literal cord though....


Best value out there is Philo but wanting nbcsn,nbc, fox and fs1 gets expensive.

Teaser rates aside, I’ve said it before but cable/satellite can still be somewhat competitive for single TV households. But if you want 2,3,4 TVs, like a family, cable/satellite gets way more expensive plus 2 year contracts. OTOH I cut the cord in Feb 2018, so maybe cable/satellite pricing and contract obligations have changed?

 

[Midpack]

Is it though? I said 14 and while I was being sarcastic, I don't think it would be hard to list 14 streaming services.

It's not my intention to make this thread like the Tesla threads, so I will take any more critiques of "cutting the cord" to the pet peeve of the day thread.

I just don’t want people who aren’t familiar with cord cutting, who consult this thread, to think they have to have a bunch of confusing streaming apps. Simply not true. As I noted, you can get ONE streaming app including that’s a virtual drop in for any cable or satellite TV plan with Hulu+Live, YTTV, Fubo TV or close with SlingTV. It will cost (much) less for most households. And it’s a very easy transition with a similar channel guide, built in DVR, etc.

 

[pb4uski]

Teaser rates aside, I’ve said it before but cable/satellite can still be somewhat competitive for single TV households. But if you want 2,3,4 TVs, like a family, cable/satellite gets way more expensive plus 2 year contracts. OTOH I cut the cord in Feb 2018, so maybe cable/satellite pricing and contract obligations have changed?

Agree.. in my experience, cable and streaming are price competitive for one tv... but once cable adds in the broadcast tv fee, charges for each converter box, etc... then streaming becomes much better from a cost perspective.

 

[REWahoo]

^ Agreed. And then there is the very real advantage of streaming in that you aren't tied to a contract, aren't held hostage to price increases during the contract term, or the loss of networks (think Fox Sports Regional) without recourse.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I've been having an issue with the Britbox app on both my Apple TVs. When trying to choose which episode of a season to watch the selection would be stuck on the first choice for about 10 seconds when it would finally work. Happened every single time.

However, after updating TVOS on the devices to version 14.4, which came out yesterday, all is well.

This is just a PSA in case others have been similarly affected.

 

[zinger1457]

Well, I locked into a $61/mo rate with Dish for 2 years, works out to $48/mo with the included $300 gift card. Rates for cable/sat/streaming only go up so locking in is a positive for my usage.