Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) - 2021 version

[Luvtoride]

Interesting concept but at $20/ month that service would be more expensive than what I and most subscribers pay now to our cable company for regional sports coverage.
I really don’t want another streaming service!

 

[JoeWras]

Interesting concept but at $20/ month that service would be more expensive than what I and most subscribers pay now to our cable company for regional sports coverage.
I really don’t want another streaming service!

It is cheap per customer because 70% of the other subscribers are not watching, yet are subsidizing the sports viewer.

This is well known and has been how the cable-sports situation evolved starting in the 80s. They have been riding this train for at least 30 years, but the wheels are now falling off.

I also don't want another streaming service. And I'd rather the sports RSN be $8 a month. But I'd dip my toes into $20 per month for my local teams. Then with OTA, and another service or three, I'd still be under $50 per month.

With beers costing $12 and up at league parks, $20 is nothing compared to going to just one game these days. Sports fans will subscribe. They'll kick and fight, but they will. And then they can dump the service in the off season.

Then we have the ESPN situation which is facing similar pressures with the cable operators.

BTW, be prepared for gambling to be the new subsidizing factor. One reason they named it "Bally" was for the sports betting aspect. ESPN has also now recognized this. The younger generations are hugely into gambling on sports both outright, and with their fantasy teams. This is a huge driver in NFL viewership. Bally has made no bones that they want gambling to be interactive while watching your team. ESPN has recently acknowledged they will be adding more gambling tie ins. (Story direct from ESPN here.)

Perhaps watching sports betting ads will be better than watching the ED, bladder leakage, and skin rash ads.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Interesting concept but at $20/ month that service would be more expensive than what I and most subscribers pay now to our cable company for regional sports coverage.
I really don’t want another streaming service!

I understand your position. It could be that nothing would change for cable subscribers meaning whomever buys out Bally Sports would simply maintain their relationship with cable providers while also providing a streaming option.

The regional sports coverage exclusive that the cable companies have in many, many cities is the ONLY thing that keeps people from cutting the cord and dropping cable. I'm a prime example. As soon as I can stream my local sports teams for $20 a month I am dropping Comcast and it's $115 a month expense. I'll be saving a lot of money. Yes, adding another streaming service is another auto-pay subscription, but to save $90 a month, I'm in.

 

[TripleLindy]

Anyone else fed up with the poor content on streaming channels, like Netflix? I feel like I’m back in the 80s, walking into a video rental store and the only videos available are titles that I’ve never heard of. I’d cancel, but my wife has to have it.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Anyone else fed up with the poor content on streaming channels, like Netflix? I feel like I’m back in the 80s, walking into a video rental store and the only videos available are titles that I’ve never heard of. I’d cancel, but my wife has to have it.

Yes, it happens. You watch all the good stuff on a streaming service, then pick through the so-so quality stuff, and then you find yourself spending a glassy eyed half-hour looking at content without finding anything to watch. Frustrated, you exit the app.

This is where rotating streaming apps comes into play. Cancel a service and subscribe to another one. Repeat the process of exhausting their content. Go to another service, etc.

Another strategy is to pick a TV series you haven't seen but have heard was good. I'm currently doing this with "The Office' on Peacock and "Fringe" on Freevee.

 

[harllee]

Anyone else fed up with the poor content on streaming channels, like Netflix? I feel like I’m back in the 80s, walking into a video rental store and the only videos available are titles that I’ve never heard of. I’d cancel, but my wife has to have it.

We have tried most of the streaming services--a few months at a time. Of all the services we tried we liked Netflix the least. We are currently on Paramount Plus watching all the Star Trek shows. We liked the British shows best--Britbox and Acorn.

 

[bloom2708]

Anyone else fed up with the poor content on streaming channels, like Netflix? I feel like I’m back in the 80s, walking into a video rental store and the only videos available are titles that I’ve never heard of. I’d cancel, but my wife has to have it.

Netflix has chosen quantity over quality.

I think it would we worth $8-$10 but $20 is too much. But, we are keeping for now.

Some of the follow up seasons to shows I liked have not been great, but there are still some anchor good shows that would be hard to miss.

We have 2 kids in college, so if Netflix cracks down on remote family usage, then I will probably have to drop it.

 

[Sojourner]

Anyone else fed up with the poor content on streaming channels, like Netflix? I feel like I’m back in the 80s, walking into a video rental store and the only videos available are titles that I’ve never heard of. I’d cancel, but my wife has to have it.

Sure, there is a lot of mediocre stuff on ALL the streaming services, but there are a few gems on each one that tend to keep subscribers hooked (mostly due to inertia and laziness, IMHO). But this isn't really different from the "good old days" of cable TV. Remember that Bruce Springsteen song, "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" from 1992?

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Anyone else fed up with the poor content on streaming channels, like Netflix? I feel like I’m back in the 80s, walking into a video rental store and the only videos available are titles that I’ve never heard of. I’d cancel, but my wife has to have it.

If interested in a good deal, the $6.99 ad supported Hulu on demand usually offers a Black Friday deal for either 99C or $1.99 a month for a year to new customers, They have a good variety. I originally hated it but kept it for 99C, but now I find myself watching it a lot more.
You also get a lot of Network shows the next day, I happened to notice all 14 episodes of ABC's Abbot Elementary is up and available to me.
I pulled this from the FAQ https://help.hulu.com/s/article/what-is-hulu

 

[swakyaby]

If interested in a good deal, the $6.99 ad supported Hulu on demand usually offers a Black Friday deal for either 99C or $1.99 a month for a year to new customers

I’m on Hulu’s 99c/month deal until November and enjoy their programming so far. I probably won’t qualify for any Black Friday deals since I won’t be a new customer. But if DH subscribes instead, might that work?

 

[JoeWras]

I’m on Hulu’s 99c/month deal until November and enjoy their programming so far. I probably won’t qualify for any Black Friday deals since I won’t be a new customer. But if DH subscribes instead, might that work?

Yes.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I'm on my 3rd name, 3rd e-mail address and 3rd credit card and paying through Paypal. It gets harder every year to qualify.
They email my other 2 e-mail addresses begging me to come back so I should be able to go back to using the first one again.
All this to save $6 a month, I really ought to be ashamed of myself....

 

[explanade]

You have to use a different name?

Aren't the names on the credit cards all the same?

 

[audreyh1]

STARZ emailed me an offer I couldn't refuse - $20 for 12 months good until 9/30. I don’t know if this is generally available or not. I recently stopped my subscription and they often send me highly discounted offers for a while afterwards.

 

[nassa]

Apple+ TV free for three months for new or returning subscribers. Purchase through Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-...7ac378211ed9b897aabb1c97e420INT&skuId=6484512



Note that a Best Buy account is required to redeem. Also, the offer will require an Apple ID w/ payment method on file.

Four months of Apple TV + is available here (Target) for new customers only: https://www.target.com/circle/partners. This requires a Target Circle account, which is free. This deal expires on 9/28 but I’ve seen the expiration date extended many times.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

You have to use a different name?

Aren't the names on the credit cards all the same?

I'm not actually sure that they ask for the name on the credit card, I just don't remember any more. Last year I had a heck of a time qualifying, I think I ended up paying through Paypal.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Ok, so spectrum ticked me off this morning in chat. My bill has gone up 20% in the past year and I seldom watch TV anyway. So I have decided to cancel.

I've spent this morning researching cord cutting and internet options. I live in a remote area so intenet options are limited. I think Spectrum is still the best at $75 a month. Verizon offers LTE internet but not fiber where I am. I have done some speed tests using my phone as a hotspot and get decent speed for ordinary browsing and youtube even. But I don't think it will be enough for streaming TV. Speedtest shows 200 Mbps over cable and 30-40 on my phone. I suspect the verizon LTE will be similar to my phone.

So, for content I need advice. When I watch TV it is typically news (CNN, BBC, etc.) and stuff like history channel, discovery channel, etc. It looks like I can get Discovery+ for $7/month and get most of that. For news I can just watch web pages which is what i mostly do now. I'm going to buy a cheap antenna and see if I get any local channels. The nearest broadcast antennas are on Maui about 100 miles away so I am not optimistic. I don't really need local channels anyway.

I also pay for netflix. During covid lockdowns I signed up for hulu, CBS and showtime because i got them for free but i found i never watched them so i cancelled all.

I've looked at streaming bundles that include live tv but they seem to run about $65 a month which is more than tv is worth to me at this point. I use roku devices now for streaming mostly music and an online dvr service would be of interest if it does not cost much.

Any advice?

 

[Qs Laptop]

Sounds like you really want to get rid of Spectrum, so why not try the Verizon LTE setup? You're right, 30 to 40 Mbps is like the minimum speed for streaming. I know claims are made you don't need that much speed but I think you do.

Is it possible to test Verizon in your home for 7 days and if it doesn't work return the equipment? That way you could test it and see how it does against Spectrum.

What speed do you get with Spectrum at $70 a month?

Definitely get the cheap antenna for over the air TV. You could at least get national network news.

Your plan of simply buying the streaming channels you want ala carte is the way to go. Plus with the free streaming channels like Pluto TV, the Roku channel, FreeZee, etc. you will quickly forget about cable TV.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

Ok, so spectrum ticked me off this morning in chat. My bill has gone up 20% in the past year and I seldom watch TV anyway. So I have decided to cancel.

I've spent this morning researching cord cutting and internet options. I live in a remote area so intenet options are limited. I think Spectrum is still the best at $75 a month. Verizon offers LTE internet but not fiber where I am. I have done some speed tests using my phone as a hotspot and get decent speed for ordinary browsing and youtube even. But I don't think it will be enough for streaming TV. Speedtest shows 200 Mbps over cable and 30-40 on my phone. I suspect the verizon LTE will be similar to my phone.

So, for content I need advice. When I watch TV it is typically news (CNN, BBC, etc.) and stuff like history channel, discovery channel, etc. It looks like I can get Discovery+ for $7/month and get most of that. For news I can just watch web pages which is what i mostly do now. I'm going to buy a cheap antenna and see if I get any local channels. The nearest broadcast antennas are on Maui about 100 miles away so I am not optimistic. I don't really need local channels anyway.

I also pay for netflix. During covid lockdowns I signed up for hulu, CBS and showtime because i got them for free but i found i never watched them so i cancelled all.

I've looked at streaming bundles that include live tv but they seem to run about $65 a month which is more than tv is worth to me at this point. I use roku devices now for streaming mostly music and an online dvr service would be of interest if it does not cost much.

Any advice?

This site will help you know what strength of signal you should expect in your location from over the air stations. At 100 miles, I would not exp3ct much. Especially from a “cheap” antenna.

https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps

Where I am, all the stations in the region show as “Weak”. But it is strong enough for a good, clear picture most of the time. On occasion a few of the most distant stations go away in certain weather.

This site is also helpful, as it suggests what equipment you might buy for your location.

https://www.antennasdirect.com/transmitter-locator.html

 

[YB88]

I'm going to buy a cheap antenna and see if I get any local channels. The nearest broadcast antennas are on Maui about 100 miles away so I am not optimistic. I don't really need local channels anyway.
...
...
I've looked at streaming bundles that include live tv but they seem to run about $65 a month which is more than tv is worth to me at this point. I use roku devices now for streaming mostly music and an online dvr service would be of interest if it does not cost much.

Any advice?

Given the cost of getting "local channels" via a streaming service, I don't understand why more people don't go the antenna + DVR route. The antenna can take a little research and fiddling to get set up well, but once it's in place it's free. But antenna alone would drive me nuts, which is where the DVR comes in. There is unfortunately no perfect DVR out there, but an imperfect one plus an antenna is IMO a whole lot better than paying $65/month for local channels that are being broadcast locally.

I have no knowledge of online dvr services --- if it's cheap then maybe. I prefer one that I pay for upfront (including programming) and then hopefully just keep using for a long time to amortize the upfront cost into something that will turn out to be cheap per month in the long run.

 

[Buckeye]

Given the cost of getting "local channels" via a streaming service, I don't understand why more people don't go the antenna + DVR route. The antenna can take a little research and fiddling to get set up well, but once it's in place it's free. But antenna alone would drive me nuts, which is where the DVR comes in. There is unfortunately no perfect DVR out there, but an imperfect one plus an antenna is IMO a whole lot better than paying $65/month for local channels that are being broadcast locally.

I have no knowledge of online dvr services --- if it's cheap then maybe. I prefer one that I pay for upfront (including programming) and then hopefully just keep using for a long time to amortize the upfront cost into something that will turn out to be cheap per month in the long run.

Have you investigated T-Mobile internet? We have had it for almost 2 years. We have learned we need 10 Mbps min. to stream and surf. No gaming. Our TV is YTTV which has a free unlimited cloud DVR. And Netflix (almost free from T-Mobile), Acorn, and Britbox.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Sounds like you really want to get rid of Spectrum, so why not try the Verizon LTE setup? You're right, 30 to 40 Mbps is like the minimum speed for streaming. I know claims are made you don't need that much speed but I think you do.

Is it possible to test Verizon in your home for 7 days and if it doesn't work return the equipment? That way you could test it and see how it does against Spectrum.

I will look into doing a test of Verizon LTE.

What speed do you get with Spectrum at $70 a month?

The Spectrum service I have is up to 300 Mbps. I test it frequently and it is almost always over 200 Mbps. It was worse a few years ago and a Spectrum guy came out and "tuned" it at the service entrance and replaced some splitters and it made a huge difference.

 

[SecondAttempt]

This site will help you know what strength of signal you should expect in your location from over the air stations. At 100 miles, I would not exp3ct much. Especially from a “cheap” antenna.

https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps

Where I am, all the stations in the region show as “Weak”. But it is strong enough for a good, clear picture most of the time. On occasion a few of the most distant stations go away in certain weather.

This site is also helpful, as it suggests what equipment you might buy for your location.

https://www.antennasdirect.com/transmitter-locator.html

Thanks. The FCC site says the signals will be about 70 dbuV/m at my house. I assume that is db microvolts per meter but have no idea if that is good or bad. It seems to be the limit of strong.

The other site does not seem to realize there is a 14000 ft pile of iron-rich basalt between me and the transmitters it decided are best so Idon't think I trust it. At least the FCC site finds the Maui transmitters.

There are also some powerful over-the-horizon FAA radars nearby the transmitters so there could be interference.

I think I am just going to have to try it. And that's my dilemma - if I get a cheap antenna it may fail because the antenna is crap. If I splurge for an expensive antenna it may still not be enough.

 

[Buckeye]

Have you investigated T-Mobile internet? We have had it for almost 2 years. We have learned we need 10 Mbps min. to stream and surf. No gaming. Our TV is YTTV which has a free unlimited cloud DVR. And Netflix (almost free from T-Mobile), Acorn, and Britbox.

Our T-Mobile internet speed is usually 100-150 Mbs unless they are doing maintenance on our local tower. This is how I know we need a minimum of 10 Mbps to stream YTTV.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I found instructions for building a DVR with a Raspberry pi using something called "Channels" It is free software but you have to pay $8 a month for their service. I have a lot of experience with Rpi's so I might try that route.

Has anyone used Channels?