For anyone out there who might be thinking That their cable provider isn’t that bad, let’s play a little game to put things into perspective. Or someone who is clingy, pushes you around, spends a lot of money on them, or both? Or someone who is relaxed, lets you do what you like, and makes you happy.
We’re guessing you’d probably opt for the latter. (We are certain we would.)
Well, get this: The first relationship is the one you’re stuck in with your cable company right. this. moment. The second? That’s a cool collection of carefully curated streaming services, babe.
If you haven’t yet picked up what we’re putting down, we’re talking about cord-cutting — a favorite term of the past few years that basically means breaking up with your cable company and only paying for the content you want without messing around with a cable box or satellite. Life is too short to be tied to a contract that doesn’t include everything you want.
There are many reasons to dump your cable provider
If the dating analogy has not convinced you to get rid of your cable provider then let us explain why. Any The best thing you can do is to stream from cable.
Live events are the first thing to discourage you from cutting off your cord. It’s easy to think you will miss out on many things, including award shows, sports events, debates, and other news events. Today, this is not the case. In fact, pretty much all of the big live events can be streamed and you can root on your favorite teams from anywhere — you just need to know where to look. (Or, perhaps, we’ll tell you where to look below.
The issue of choice is another area of contention. Many cable packages give the illusion of having more than 100 channels, but you’ll soon discover that they are not really choices you’d want to make. Cable TV is not a reliable source of movie and TV options. You must schedule your TV viewing time to coincide with when the shows are being shown. Only the end of that movie you’ve been meaning to check out. After going through the thousands of “meh”, you might be able to find something that you like.
The bar for network television is set pretty high at this point. All the best content is available on streaming services. In fact, in some cases, like that of CBS’ EvilIt was too much for network television, and the content was a literal hellish (in the best possible way). And so, starting with its second season, the show was turned into a streaming-only exclusive to drum up subscribers for the then-freshly-rebranded Paramount+ streaming service.
Additionally, cable doesn’t allow you to binge-watch a whole season in one sitting. Some streaming services now offer more traditional weekly episodes, in case you miss the conversation about your favorite show that week. It should also not be overlooked that streaming services — even the ones that aren’t ad-free — subject us to fewer commercials. Because we have a limited amount of time. Is valuable, thankyouverymuch.
Finally — perhaps the most important aspect of all — the price. Bottom line, cable has a terrible price-to-value ratio. It is more expensive than streaming services and can cost up to $100 per month faster than what you would pay for a movie.
Here’s some food for thought: You can subscribe to Netflix, HBO MaxHulu, Disney+, and Disney+ all at once stillPay less per month than the majority of cable companies. Cable companies often sneak in hidden fees. hidden feesThese fees are not included in the advertised price. You will need to pay monthly for the remote. Insane.) You will almost always pay more than the advertised cost and, in many cases after your first contract ends, that price may increase. Apparently, cable appreciates in value over time — who knew!
Here are some things to consider when you choose a streaming provider
Netflix is an excellent service that allows you to binge-watch movies and other TV shows. However, it’s not the only one. Complete There is no substitute for live TV and cable. It is possible to need more than one service in order to satisfy all your needs. It’s not possible to have every streaming service. You don’t need to pay more for streaming subscriptions after cutting the cord. You’ll need to be careful about which streaming subscriptions you choose to subscribe to.
Over the past few decades, streaming service markets have grown exponentially. You can alsoThere are many options for channel and plan options, so you may be panicking about which streaming service is best for you. The answer depends on your preferences and what you want from your streaming service.
Here are some things to keep in mind when looking through the wide range of streaming services that you have today.
- Your taste and watching habits It’s a simple question. Which shows do you watch most often and what are your favorite genres? You should consider services such as Netflix and HBO Max if you are a fan of prestige TV and film. Learn more Sports and live events? You can also subscribe to live TV streaming services like Sling TV or YouTube TV to keep up-to-date. Although we recommend that you combine the two, it might not be feasible for everyone.
- Your budget: What amount are you willing and able to spend on entertainment? It’s easy to determine which service or services you want once you have a number. Streaming services are much more transparent about their pricing than cable companies, so there won’t be hidden fees.
- Compatibility between devices Every streaming service is not compatible with every smart TV or device. When HBO Max was first released, the streaming app was not available on Fire TV or Roku streaming devices. The workarounds were frustrating and sometimes even impossible. Eventually, it all got sorted out, but you’ll still want to heed the warning and make sure any streaming app you might want (especially the smaller, niche ones) is compatible with your streaming device before you pony up the cash.
- Limits for screen and profile: What number of people will be using your streaming services or other services? You? Is it your entire family? A family?
- Cloud DVR options Cloud DVR is not available on all live TV streaming services, but it is worth looking for. It allows you to store and record live events as well as programming and makes it possible to cut the cord.
What is live television streaming anyway?
We’ve used this phrase on you several times, but now we want to make sure you know what it means. This is exactlyIt’s quite different. The most popular streaming websitesThis is what I first thought.
Although streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max allow you to access a lot of great content on-demand, it’s not available live. You can’t simply open one of these streaming services and watch TV the same way you would with traditional cable. (And you certainly can’t watch any live sports.) Instead, pick something you want to watch and place it in a list. Then, hit “play”.
Live TV streaming services, on the other hand, work a lot more like traditional cable — namely YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, and a few others. Although the channel selections may vary from one another, they all offer live content that you can watch at the same time as everyone else who is watching live TV.
Let’s say, for instance, that your neighbor has regular cable and would like to watch the latest episode. Grey’s AnatomyIt will air as it airs. When the show is about to begin, they would switch the channel to ABC and then watch it live on TV. Well, you can do the exact same thing with a live TV streaming service — as long as it offers ABC, of course. You will find most streaming services that include local channels. You’ll only notice a slight difference. Instead of pointing your remote at a costly cable box, instead you’ll point your streaming device towards your streaming device.
The best part is that many streaming services offer cloud DVR storage. You don’t have to be able live TV, but you do have the option of cloud DVR storage. AlwaysLive TV viewing is required. You can save favorites to your computer for later. You have the option to choose.
Although services such as Netflix can supplement live TV, they cannot replace your cable provider. It all depends on what content and channels you are most interested in, as well as how much you enjoy watching live TV.
Which TV streaming services are best?
It can, hellaIt’s difficult to choose among all the available options. Here, we break down the benefits of each streaming service. This quick-reference guide will help you find the best streaming services, whether you are looking for live TV streaming or exclusive original series.
