Looking to cut from cable TV. Any suggestions?

[cfmoran13]

My cable/internet/phone bill is a little out of hand and I'm looking to shave off some $$.  Right now, I'm paying for virtually every pay channel under the sun and not really using any of them ($85 for the cable service, $20 for the DVR).  We already use Amazon Prime Instant Video.  So, that's a start.  Figured I'd see if anyone else here has moved away from traditional cable television for a more cost-effective alternative.

I figure, if I cut the cable altogether and add Netflix ($17) and Hulu Plus ($8 or $9) to the Amazon Prime, I'd have just about everything but HBO covered at a fraction of the price.

Here's what we primarily watch:  Bones and Gotham (FOX), Big Bang Theory and Scorpion (CBS), Sons of Anarchy (FX), Arrow and Flash (CW)
Our daughter watches stuff from Cartoon Network, The Hub and Disney XD.

Has anyone else done anything similar?

[Chino]

I close on my first house tomorrow. I don't plan on getting cable for TV. I'm getting cable high speed internet, and I will survive with Netflix, Hulu, and Prime. I'll jack my parents username and password for HBO Go. Television programs that I can't watch on those services will be streamed on the networks' official websites. If they don't stream them online, I'll torrent them. I have no sympathy for a company that can't get with the times. I also don't give a shit about sports, so there's nothing on that front for me to worry about.

[El Barto]

Yeah, it mostly depends on how ethically inclined you are. I ditched cable years ago and have been amazed by how much better TV is now. What you learn is that you get to watch what you want, when you want to instead of choosing from what's on at any given time. You'll also love not having to sit through obnoxious commercials. If you're a sports fan things can get bit dicey, but there are ways to deal with that, as well.

[cfmoran13]

Yeah, I'm very familiar with torrents.  Not to say I haven't done it in the past.  But, I'm trying to do this at ethically as possible.  You know, pay for the stuff when possible.  Just don't want to do $100/month for cable.  As far as sports go, I get MLBTV during the season.  So, I don't have to worry about that.  The Super Bowl might be something I have to deal with when it comes.  And, HBO Go seems to be easy enough to work around (as Chino has said).  That'll probably be the one place where I'm not necessarily walking the straight and narrow.   

And, thanks for the responses.

[lonestar]

They streamed the Super Bowl last year if I remember correctly.

[lordxizor]

Live sports is the biggest problem really. Depending on where you live, a $10 antenna may be all you need to get access to all of your local broadcast channels and some live sports. There are less than legal ways to stream live sports, but they are pretty shitty quality in my experience.

We use Hulu (the free version) for virtually all our TV watching and it's awesome. it's been four years now since we cut the cable and it was totally worth it. Unless you watch a ton of TV, I doubt you need Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu Plus.

[Chino]

Live sports is the biggest problem really. Depending on where you live, a $10 antenna may be all you need to get access to all of your local broadcast channels and some live sports. There are less than legal ways to stream live sports, but they are pretty shitty quality in my experience.

We use Hulu (the free version) for virtually all our TV watching and it's awesome. it's been four years now since we cut the cable and it was totally worth it. Unless you watch a ton of TV, I doubt you need Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu Plus.

I get Amazon prime for the shipping more than I do the media. I'd actually get prime even if you couldn't stream anything. Hulu is great for new/current shows, and Netflix owns when it comes to old series and documentaries.

[black_biff_stadler]

If you can access the DuMont network, you may wanna give it a shot.

[Tom Bombadil]

Do it. Cable tv is so not worth it. I have an antenna which let's me watch CBS, ABC, etc. and Netflix to watch anything else. Works great.

[El Barto]

It sucks when you live in an RF deadzone like I do. If the weather's right I can usually get FOX or CBS, but never both. That means I can usually get something on football Sunday, but the options are sparse. Aereo was awesome for the one season I had it. Sadly, due to a poorly decided Supreme Court decision it's no more. Frankly, NFL football isn't supposed to cost anything to watch, so I have no qualms whatsoever about streaming it, which I've been doing quite well with this year. It also has the added benefit of not being American broadcasts which is a huge plus.

[Chino]

150,000k subscribers cut the chord last quarter.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/14/cord-cutting_n_6159502.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

[cramx3]

I think there was another thread discussing this more recently, but I can't seem to find it easily sooo massive bump.

I cut my cable a couple weeks ago.  I had a very nice employee discount for a TV service that I no longer get as my company has been sold off to another corporation.  So basically my $10 a month TV service for all channels was now $170 and I'm just not paying that much for cable when I hardly watch TV anymore.

My plan is to go the summer without any cable and I'm thinking of getting youtube tv in the fall so I can get the Big 10 network for college football and then cancel it once the season is over (or maybe not if I really like the service). 

It's been a bit of an adjustment though.  I find myself watching the live news on youtube for example (NBC and ABC have 24/7 live news on youtube). But I hardly find myself missing actual cable. 

[Phoenix87x]

I bought my condo back in 2018 and never even got TV or Phone installed. Just internet with comcast for like $89 a month. Its been working fine so far.

[cramx3]

I bought my condo back in 2018 and never even got TV or Phone installed. Just internet with comcast for like $89 a month. Its been working fine so far.

Do you use streaming services?

My gf did log into all her streaming services on my roku (netflix, disnery+, hulu) and I have amazon prime.  But I only really use these when shes over and we watch shows.  I will watch some docs on my own on prime, but I'm mostly just watching stuff on youtube for now.

[El Barto]

I think there was another thread discussing this more recently, but I can't seem to find it easily sooo massive bump.

I cut my cable a couple weeks ago.  I had a very nice employee discount for a TV service that I no longer get as my company has been sold off to another corporation.  So basically my $10 a month TV service for all channels was now $170 and I'm just not paying that much for cable when I hardly watch TV anymore.

My plan is to go the summer without any cable and I'm thinking of getting youtube tv in the fall so I can get the Big 10 network for college football and then cancel it once the season is over (or maybe not if I really like the service). 

It's been a bit of an adjustment though.  I find myself watching the live news on youtube for example (NBC and ABC have 24/7 live news on youtube). But I hardly find myself missing actual cable.

Depending on your personal sense of ethics, you should be able to stream any college game you wish from one of dozens of sources.

For my part that adjustment period lasted like 2 days. As I said before, it's far better to decide to watch something than just to have it shown to you. I'm fine with Youtube and a fairly extensive selection of old TV shows and movies on my HDD, and I'll DL entire series from time to time if I want to watch actual TV. I watched 8 seasons of House a few weeks ago, just because. To be frank about it, I'd spend a few bucks a month on a VPN to CYA before I spent money on a streaming service, if you get my drift.

[Dublagent66]

If you want live TV on Hulu it'll cost you around $65/Mon.  You'd be better off just keeping basic cable and using the other streaming services mentioned for movies.

[emtee]

I cut the cord in 2017.

First, a digital antenna. I get 65 channels. All the networks, PBS and many more.
Then you have all the free streaming options. Pluto. IMDB, etc. This covers classic TV shows, many movies and more. Then individual apps like PBS for Nova and Nature on demand.
The only thing I sometimes miss is ESPN during college football, but even then 90% of the games are on YouTube. I'm not breaking the law by watching, the streamer is.

[cramx3]

I'm well versed in using bittorrent

But I've yet to find a good online source for sports that isn't either unreliable, super grainy, or filled with ads that make it unbearable. 

[Spiritus]

I close on my first house tomorrow. I don't plan on getting cable for TV. I'm getting cable high speed internet, and I will survive with Netflix, Hulu, and Prime. I'll jack my parents username and password for HBO Go. Television programs that I can't watch on those services will be streamed on the networks' official websites. If they don't stream them online, I'll torrent them. I have no sympathy for a company that can't get with the times. I also don't give a shit about sports, so there's nothing on that front for me to worry about.

Pretty much all of the above especially the bolded.  I haven't had cable in 5 years. I only have netflix and there is so much awesome content on youtube I am always entertained.

[Phoenix87x]

Do you use streaming services?

My gf did log into all her streaming services on my roku (netflix, disnery+, hulu) and I have amazon prime.  But I only really use these when shes over and we watch shows.  I will watch some docs on my own on prime, but I'm mostly just watching stuff on youtube for now.

I do, but only if there's something that I want to watch. I don't have any continuous subscriptions. I just pay for one month, cancel it and binge all the stuff I need to catch up on before the month is up.

I would say 90% of my viewing is just youtube channels I like. The content there is like never ending, lol. And hyper specific to the things I like.

[cramx3]

I do, but only if there's something that I want to watch. I don't have any continuous subscriptions. I just pay for one month, cancel it and binge all the stuff I need to catch up on before the month is up.

I can see myself doing this with like youtubetv for example.  Keep it for the fall to watch football, cancel it after the season. Rinse and repeat. 

[Phoenix87x]

I do, but only if there's something that I want to watch. I don't have any continuous subscriptions. I just pay for one month, cancel it and binge all the stuff I need to catch up on before the month is up.

I can see myself doing this with like youtubetv for example.  Keep it for the fall to watch football, cancel it after the season. Rinse and repeat.

Oh totally. It just got to a point where I had like 3 streaming subscriptions that I wasn't even watching and I was like that's it. Enough is enough 

[El Barto]

I'm well versed in using bittorrent

But I've yet to find a good online source for sports that isn't either unreliable, super grainy, or filled with ads that make it unbearable.

Make sure you've got two adblockers installed in your web browser and none of the popups or ads will work, and it'll take you two game days to master how to get what you want. I watch whatever NFL game I want, in HD and with minimal interruptions. If the stream you're watching is NFL channel you won't even have commercials-- only the music. It's definitely more complicated than just downloading GoT, but it's still pretty easy.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I'm well versed in using bittorrent

But I've yet to find a good online source for sports that isn't either unreliable, super grainy, or filled with ads that make it unbearable.

Make sure you've got two adblockers installed in your web browser and none of the popups or ads will work, and it'll take you two game days to master how to get what you want. I watch whatever NFL game I want, in HD and with minimal interruptions. If the stream you're watching is NFL channel you won't even have commercials-- only the music. It's definitely more complicated than just downloading GoT, but it's still pretty easy.

Ha! This is exactly how I watched the NFL playoffs last year. 

[ReaperKK]

I'm well versed in using bittorrent

But I've yet to find a good online source for sports that isn't either unreliable, super grainy, or filled with ads that make it unbearable.

Make sure you've got two adblockers installed in your web browser and none of the popups or ads will work, and it'll take you two game days to master how to get what you want. I watch whatever NFL game I want, in HD and with minimal interruptions. If the stream you're watching is NFL channel you won't even have commercials-- only the music. It's definitely more complicated than just downloading GoT, but it's still pretty easy.

This, I got a couple fantastic streaming sites that work well (assuming you have adblock on ). I watch the UFC fights on there too. Cram if you want a link shoot me a PM.

[WilliamMunny]

I, like many others, cut that proverbial cord years ago. Life is just way too busy for appointment t.v., so I saw little use in continuing to pay for cable.

That being said, between Apple Plus, Netflix, Prime, HBO, Hulu, and Showtime, we are definitely paying more now for all of the streaming services than I was for cable 5 years ago.

The way I look at it: I LOVE movies/television, and I work extremely hard, so I'm not going to sweat a few bucks a day if it means that I can watch what I want, when I want, without interuption.

Add to that the complete lack of going to the movies over the past few years, and I am more and more just spending that $4.99 to rent a movie on a Saturday night.

I am all about budgeting and making sacrafices (I literally eat PB&J for lunch 4-5 days a week), but when it comes to my entertainment, I refuse to compramise. Life is way too short to wait...

[Grappler]

We use Youtube TV for live tv.  It works for us and is cheaper than cable.

Other subscriptions include:  Netflix, HBO (I've had it since last fall for 50% off for the year and may keep it at full price), Starz (six months for $20, then we'll cancel).  Last summer we had Hulu so my wife could watch one show, then we cancelled after a couple of months. 

You just have to reign yourself in when it comes to subscribing to too many things.  Since they're 30 day subscriptions, you can cancel and re-subscribe whenever you want.  Since I already have Youtube tv, I'm not going to subscribe to individual channels (AMC+, Discovery/Paramount +) just for exclusive content.  If I do want to, then I'll wait for a sale price.

[cramx3]

Since they're 30 day subscriptions, you can cancel and re-subscribe whenever you want. 

This is a big reason why, when I do go buy a package again, I will try youtube TV instead of using verizon fios TV.  It's the same price, but I can easily cancel and re-start.  With cable, I will need to have someone do the set up, then send back the cable box when done and you don't get the best prices without a contract.  I kind of like the idea of just subscribing when needed and unsubscribe when done with my usage. 

[WilliamMunny]

We use Youtube TV for live tv.  It works for us and is cheaper than cable.

Other subscriptions include:  Netflix, HBO (I've had it since last fall for 50% off for the year and may keep it at full price), Starz (six months for $20, then we'll cancel).  Last summer we had Hulu so my wife could watch one show, then we cancelled after a couple of months. 

You just have to reign yourself in when it comes to subscribing to too many things.  Since they're 30 day subscriptions, you can cancel and re-subscribe whenever you want. Since I already have Youtube tv, I'm not going to subscribe to individual channels (AMC+, Discovery/Paramount +) just for exclusive content.  If I do want to, then I'll wait for a sale price.

This. The way this model works and with shows dropping once a year, you can totally get by with only 2 or 3 subscriptions going at any one time.

[ProfessorPeart]

I just recently put a 6 month pause on my fuboTV account. Essentially, right after football ended. I was paying $80 a month to watch sports and not much else. I replaced the satellite dish on my roof with a long-range digital antenna and can get most of my locals for free. Right now, I don't think I will resume fubo. I can watch the NFL over my antenna except for CBS. That channel really doesn't come in well. For that, I discovered that if I sign up for the ad-supported version of Paramount+ I can watch any locally aired NFL game over their service. Live TV is only with the ad-free version but they include the NFL games with the cheaper version. I would just be missing ESPN but now that Buck and Aikman are over there, that is probably a good thing. I have Amazon Prime so I'm set for Thursday night games.

I would miss the NFL Network as they have been the only pre-game show I watch. I also have no way to watch the Cubs right now, but that is not a big deal at the moment. I follow the box scores for now.

I do have an array of streaming services and (cough cough) other means of getting a few shows that I really want to watch.

I took way longer than I ever should have to finally kick the habit, but I don't miss OTA cable service at all. Not to mention all the content just on Pluto and the Roku channel as well as a slew of other free Roku channels. We are a total Roku house as every TV has one attached or in my daughters case, she has a Roku TV.

[hefdaddy42]

We have multiple streaming services AND cable, because I can't convince my wife to cut the cord.

[TheCountOfNYC]

Get the top tier Hulu bundle with Disney+, ESPN+, no commercials for regular streaming, and live TV included. It’s cheaper than cable and offers so much more. If you’re into sports, also buy an HD antenna to hook up to your television just in case of blackout rules in your sports market. My girlfriend also pays for Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, and HBO Max, so between the both of us were able to watch whatever we want and neither of us pays over 100 bucks a month.

[El Barto]

We have multiple streaming services AND cable, because I can't convince my wife to cut the cord.

Wait til she's out of the house and "cut" it yourself. "Yeah, Spectrum says it'll be 6 days before they can get out here." That should be enough time to sell her on the idea.

[hefdaddy42]

We have multiple streaming services AND cable, because I can't convince my wife to cut the cord.

Wait til she's out of the house and "cut" it yourself. "Yeah, Spectrum says it'll be 6 days before they can get out here." That should be enough time to sell her on the idea.

Oh, but no.

[Zoom E]

My monthly cable plus Internet bill is $198. When I looked into getting rid of the many channels I don’t watch, there were no savings involved because apparently I am on an old grandfathered plan.

 I do watch some shows on the basic cable networks, and a fair bit of news and sports, but spend way more time watching Netflix.