What's Normal? - Do You Subscribe to Cable TV? (1 Viewer)

[CletiusMaximus]

Our current subscriptions are:

Hulu Live TV (for local / network shows, some original content)
Netflix
Amazon Prime
HBO
Disney +
Apple+
Peacock (soccer)
Paramout+ (soccer)
ESPN+ (sports - part of the Hulu/Disney/ESPN bundle)

I'm sure I'm paying way more than a normal cable subscription but I can't get any of this stuff on cable. The funny part of this is I can't watch either my local MLB team or my local basketball team live other than the rare nationally televised games - would have to add an additional subscription to Bally Sports.

 

[Mister CIA]

No cable.

I piggyback off my son's youtube TV (because I'd otherwise not subscribe outside of football season, and he has to have it year-round). In exchange I pay for the red zone add-on, and this I'll be paying for NBA League Pass (Go Spurs Go). Also, Sunday dinners are on me.

The rest of my stack includes Amazon, PBS Passport (by way of $10 monthly contribution), and a Wondrium subscription (a wealth of self-learning content on the $45 for 3 months plan).

That's it. If I want Netflix or HBO, I'll fire them up one month at a time.

Altogether less than $50 month. ... and AT&T fiber internet for $65/month (standard price well beyond the first year teaser rate).

Also have an antenna.

 

[massraider]

My parents have finally stopped asking me "Did you see American Idol/Voice/Masked Singer/World Has Talent?" because they remember I don't have access.

Best argument I have seen for cutting the cable.

 

[AAABatteries]

Where’s the “I do whatever my wife wants” option?

 

[mr. furley]

we still have cable

have tried dropping and cobbling together various services to still watch what we want and it either ends up costing more, or you can't part together the streaming services to work.

live sports is a must
wife wants netflix
kids want youtube
wife and kids want hulu
i still like watching history/documentary shows, still want to catch various other programs that are not on streaming, etc.

and i get in this discussion with friends from time to time which usually results in what feels like an MLM presentation of just how it is possible to drop cable, then create a package of 13 other service between tv, tablet, laptop and phone that gets me what cable offers at only a slight increase in costs.


as much as Spectrum sucks, i'd rather pay 1 service monthly and watch tv on a tv than keep track of many monthly payments and devices whose terms, conditions and costs change variably.. some of which may well shut down, change ownership and/or be sub-divided off to another subscription package... OS updates and now X doesn't work anymore, etc.

sure, YouTube tv costs X now, but soon it will be YouTube Sports, YouTube Reality, YouTube News, etc. and each will cost 60% of what YouTube tv cost before but now you "need" all 3 to get what you had before. too many headaches.

HULU Live takes care of live sports and any hulu needs. It also has pretty much anything you want that normal cable has.
YouTube is free. My kids watch crap on YouTube on their phones all the time.
Netflix is netflix.

Honestly, streaming is cake. It takes a little time to adjust but I started 4-5 years ago and even with price increases I'm STILL about $50 less per month. I track it on a spreadsheet and update it every couple of months to compare.

And streaming is so effing easy. No cable boxes. You can move TV's around with ease. Your phone is your remote, AND if you are traveling you have all your stuff literally in the palm of your hand. I've streamed in hotels before since most of them have SMART TV's now.

You can do it. I believe in you.

we've tried. trust me. it's too much of a pain to go a la carte. at least for me.

we've consolidated many different functions in the form of cell phones. i'm kind of good with that style format vs. having to reference many different sources for maps, time, calls, etc. just put it all together and make everything easy vs. paying for multiple formats.

 

[mr. furley]

how many of you cable cutters also pay for Spotify, Sirius, podcasts, etc.

curious what the Venn diagram looks like

 

[Manster]

I miss the days of cable honestly. I hate all this ala carte streaming ********......my wife and I are pretty close to cancelling all of em and only having our digital antenna......which, btw, has A LOT of content besides just the local stations

 

[dkp993]

Our current subscriptions are:

Hulu Live TV (for local / network shows, some original content)
Netflix
Amazon Prime
HBO
Disney +
Apple+
Peacock (soccer)
Paramout+ (soccer)
ESPN+ (sports - part of the Hulu/Disney/ESPN bundle)

I'm sure I'm paying way more than a normal cable subscription but I can't get any of this stuff on cable. The funny part of this is I can't watch either my local MLB team or my local basketball team live other than the rare nationally televised games - would have to add an additional subscription to Bally Sports.

This is me as well (Sub youtubetv for HuluTV, though I do subscribe to Hulu as well) so I had to do ballys too. Though now that they dropped the Padres I added MLB for them. I’m pretty sure my monthly TV subs total cost would equal the GDP of a small country.

 

[dkp993]

Go Spurs Go).

Always knew I liked you!

 

[dkp993]

how many of you cable cutters also pay for Spotify, Sirius, podcasts, etc.

curious what the Venn diagram looks like

spotify

 

[Keerock]

I wish there was a way for me to start a business that provided "streaming bundles". You sign up with me and tell me which streaming services you want. I provide you with those services (hopefully at a discount) so you don't have to deal with multiple vendors for payment or support.

I'd call it YouFlix.

Am I a millionaire yet?

 

[dkp993]

I wish there was a way for me to start a business that provided "streaming bundles". You sign up with me and tell me which streaming services you want. I provide you with those services (hopefully at a discount) so you don't have to deal with multiple vendors for payment or support.

I'd call it YouFlix.

Am I a millionaire yet?

Take my money please.

 

[massraider]

YouTube TV, and I rotate everything else. I have Prime, but I don't count that because I would have that without a streaming stuff, so that's not going anywhere. And it has sneaky good content.

Paramount and Peacock during footie season. I will grab the HBO and Showtime stuff for a bit to watch stuff I want to see. I will do them for a month, hit the stuff I have been hearing about, and drop it for the next.

What I do is probably not ideal for most people, but saves me a buttload of money.

The number of streaming services people continue to pay for out of, let's be honest, laziness boggles my mind. How much TV can a person watch?

 

[mr. furley]

The number of streaming services people continue to pay for out of, let's be honest, laziness boggles my mind. How much TV can a person watch?

this

paying for Disney+, Paramount, Peacock, YouTube, Hulu, etc. would make me feel obligated to watch more. it seems lots of people pay for those services for a single show, which, when amortized over a year vs. say paying theater prices for a movie makes some sense but i'd feel like i was wasting money by paying a monthly subscription to watch The Bear or whatever.

six of one half dozen of the other in terms of how many shows i watch on cable vs. how many i'd watch on a streaming service, i suppose, but at least the costs are centralized and not scattered which i am likely to forget and continue to pay for long after i've stopped paying attention.

 

[Gally]

I wish there was a way for me to start a business that provided "streaming bundles". You sign up with me and tell me which streaming services you want. I provide you with those services (hopefully at a discount) so you don't have to deal with multiple vendors for payment or support.

I'd call it YouFlix.

Am I a millionaire yet?

I would sign up in a heartbeat

ETA: This is actually the way I thought DirecTV should work from the beginning. Let me pick the X number of channels I watch and give me a price for those. I don't want the shopping network or CNN or whatever channel that comes with the Total Choice package. I don't care it has 120 channels. I only watch 20 of them. Get rid of the other 100 and let me pay for what I watch.

Now with streaming services it can't work that way for one service so this idea would be awesome.

 

[belljr]

i mean the only reason i have my streaming services is they are/were included with whatever service i signed up with,

Xfinity "free netflix"
Verizon "free disney, hulu, espn"
I got free Apple Tv for something else

I'm sure there are hidden fees that are actually paying for all of this but I don't have any separate billing for service. Not sure what happens if I try to actually cancel these.....

 

[mr. furley]

I wish there was a way for me to start a business that provided "streaming bundles". You sign up with me and tell me which streaming services you want. I provide you with those services (hopefully at a discount) so you don't have to deal with multiple vendors for payment or support.

I'd call it YouFlix.

Am I a millionaire yet?

I would sign up in a heartbeat

ETA: This is actually the way I thought DirecTV should work from the beginning. Let me pick the X number of channels I watch and give me a price for those. I don't want the shopping network or CNN or whatever channel that comes with the Total Choice package. I don't care it has 120 channels. I only watch 20 of them. Get rid of the other 100 and let me pay for what I watch.

Now with streaming services it can't work that way for one service so this idea would be awesome.

100%

 

[The General]

Could probably save about 50 bucks a month doing all the various streaming services and cutting this and that but am too lazy and my provider, while they suck in some ways and are always trying to rip me off, does provide good service.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

DTV has also gotten wicked expensive (unless you do the "script" every year).

I did my annual August call to DTV and did it so well for around 15 years - and this is no exaggeration - there were years where they were paying me to take their product including Sunday Ticket.

I remember those days.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I am Shuked that so many people still rock Cable. I get the elderly angle but thats about it.

 

[Wingnut]

I have regular cable for convenience, but I use firestick apps for pay/movie channels, sports, PPVs, movies & TV shows on demand, etc. Total cost for the firestick apps is about $12/month.

The only other pay service I have is Amazon Prime. I don't have or need Netflix, Hulu, paramount, etc because I get all of their content (and everyone elses) on the stick.

Work smarter, not harder.

 

[Terminalxylem]

I am Shuked that so many people still rock Cable. I get the elderly angle but thats about it.

In our household, it’s a combination of inertia, and not watching much tv.

I fully acknowledge it’s a waste of $. But as others have mentioned, the difference probably isn’t that much, when you consider most subscribe to multiple streaming services.

 

[kupcho1]

I am Shuked that so many people still rock Cable. I get the elderly angle but thats about it.

There's just no other legal way for me to get local professional hockey and baseball. At least not yet.
I trialed YouTube TV and it was fine with that exception (and the loss of the NHL network as well, at least at that point in time).

 

[Ilov80s]

Cable is technically cut but YouTube TV is basically cable still. I would totally get rid of it but my wife insists.

 

[belljr]

I am Shuked that so many people still rock Cable. I get the elderly angle but thats about it.

My cable is basically now a giant roku in theory. I have all the cable stuff but then can flip to any app I have a sub for all integrated in the menus. I can even browse across all services in one spot without going into that service :Shrug:

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I am Shuked that so many people still rock Cable. I get the elderly angle but thats about it.

My cable is basically now a giant roku in theory. I have all the cable stuff but then can flip to any app I have a sub for all integrated in the menus. I can even browse across all services in one spot without going into that service :Shrug:

What are you paying a month?

 

[Poke_4_Life]

Answered no, but we have YouTubeTV. That's basically cable.

 

[Keerock]

Answered no, but we have YouTubeTV. That's basically cable.

I didn't realize YouTube ran coax to your home...

 

[Poke_4_Life]

Answered no, but we have YouTubeTV. That's basically cable.

I didn't realize YouTube ran coax to your home...

LOL. You realize even DirectTV has an Internet option in DirectTV stream? What do you call that?

I just feel like YouTubeTV is basically same as Cable. It's a bundle of TV channels with DVR.

 

[Keerock]

Answered no, but we have YouTubeTV. That's basically cable.

I didn't realize YouTube ran coax to your home...

LOL. You realize even DirectTV has an Internet option in DirectTV stream? What do you call that?

I just feel like YouTubeTV is basically same as Cable. It's a bundle of TV channels with DVR.

I DON'T call it cable. It would be a streaming service.

 

[belljr]

I am Shuked that so many people still rock Cable. I get the elderly angle but thats about it.

My cable is basically now a giant roku in theory. I have all the cable stuff but then can flip to any app I have a sub for all integrated in the menus. I can even browse across all services in one spot without going into that service :Shrug:

What are you paying a month?

for cable?

cable 1gb internet, still has phone line - "nextflix included" Sports tier, hbo, showtime, mgm+ (was epix, was starz_ and couple other movie channels.

280

I also have free apple, hulu, disney, espn - "free via cell carrier" im sure that its not really free plus peacock.

I would not have any of these services if I was paying separately. Just the cable package

 

[mr. furley]

I am Shuked that so many people still rock Cable. I get the elderly angle but thats about it.

In our household, it’s a combination of inertia, and not watching much tv.

I fully acknowledge it’s a waste of $. But as others have mentioned, the difference probably isn’t that much, when you consider most subscribe to multiple streaming services.

it's a bit like having a conversation with someone who's waiting in line at a Starbucks to get a $9 coffee and $7 dollar bagel to start the day while they question why you don't pack your own lunch... think of the savings if you just made a sandwich at home like they do vs. buying one from the deli!

 

[Payne]

Every time I consider cutting cable, I do basic math and realize it's not much cheaper if at all.

Those of you paying for internet and Youtube TV are probably paying the same as you would for just cable (and internet) correct?

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Every time I consider cutting cable, I do basic math and realize it's not much cheaper if at all.

Those of you paying for internet and Youtube TV are probably paying the same as you would for just cable (and internet) correct?

For me yes. I think its a highly personalized calculation we all do based on what our family wants. I probably pay about the same or more than I used to with cable, but almost none of the stuff we watch on television is available on cable.

 

[Payne]

Every time I consider cutting cable, I do basic math and realize it's not much cheaper if at all.

Those of you paying for internet and Youtube TV are probably paying the same as you would for just cable (and internet) correct?

For me yes. I think its a highly personalized calculation we all do based on what our family wants. I probably pay about the same or more than I used to with cable, but almost none of the stuff we watch on television is available on cable.

I'm not even talking about the extra apps like Netflix, Prime, etc.
If I compare my current cable / internet package with what I would need to get local sports, etc using internet only, it seems to be pretty much the same price.

 

[FairWarning]

IPTV, $80/year, 17,000 live channels.

 

[Keerock]

IPTV, $80/year, 17,000 live channels.

What’s the interface like?

 

[snellman]

IPTV, $80/year, 17,000 live chann)els.

This, I went through Dish, DirecTV and all of the streaming services until their pi##ing match with Fox Sports (Now Bally Sports). Every time I would switch a provider they would eventually drop the channel and I wouldn't be able to watch the Twins. I have had 2 IPTV, both have been good, but the one I have Currently is better as far as buffering, etc. I think mine is $80 every 6 months, but I get 5 streams so I can run multiple TVs.

Wife wasn't real happy about it so I got her Netflix, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock. I have had to keep adding as the companies start to make some shows available only on their app. She watches her shows with her Ipad and headphones, I watch my baseball on the TV and we are both happy.

 

[hagmania]

I have never owned cable.

 

[FairWarning]

IPTV, $80/year, 17,000 live channels.

What’s the interface like?

easy to use. Depending on the player, you can hide sections you don’t use. You can also program them for just your favorite channels also.

 

[ChiefD]

Every time I consider cutting cable, I do basic math and realize it's not much cheaper if at all.

Those of you paying for internet and Youtube TV are probably paying the same as you would for just cable (and internet) correct?

Not for me. I’m about $60 less a month. I use HULU Live and a couple other subs and get everything I could ever want.

 

[Psychopav]

Cut the cord about 12 years ago.

Honestly, though, it's getting the point where I'm not sure YouTube TV is really "cutting the cord". Sure, $73 is better than cable. But the price has also doubled in the last 5 years, and I'm sure it will keep going up.

If we could get better antenna reception for local channels, I'd look to go back to Sling or something.

Outside of the cost, one major benefit, and to me, a deal breaker for traditional cable at this point, is not having to deal with humans or contracts or some company's stupid equipment.

I have canceled and switched cable providers a number of times in my life. I assure you, I will never go through that again.

If I don't like a streaming service anymore, I click a button and it's done (well, Amazon's "Iliad" lawsuit aside).

What's that?

 

[Psychopav]

how many of you cable cutters also pay for Spotify, Sirius, podcasts, etc.

curious what the Venn diagram looks like

Hell no. Although I do get the music unlimited addon to Prime, but I wouldn't if it weren't for my kids (they all use my Amazon music account)

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I'm probably a little different than most of you in that I live alone and only have to account for what I want to watch. Also, I watch very little "real time" scripted TV anymore. I've been streaming-only for several years and have gone through many combinations, but here's where I am now:

Hulu Live - $85/mo. Really, the only reason I settled on this was to get my "local" channels, as I'm too far out in the sticks to use an antenna. It's bundled with Disney + & ESPN +, neither of which I thought I'd ever use. I was right in Disney's case and wrong in ESPN's. There's more on-demand stuff than I can ever watch and the live channel offerings are like a cable package. I had locast.org for a couple of years at $5/mo until the big cable guys got it shut down - if that didn't happen, I'd still have that and not Hulu.

PBS - $5/mo. Has just about all of their classic series on-demand.

The Weather Channel - $3/mo. I'm old - sue me.

My internet is $85/mo and I have Prime for whatever that costs nowadays, but I'd have both no matter what. I had Netflix for a while, but just didn't use it much. Same with HBO Max.

 

[Keerock]

IPTV, $80/year, 17,000 live channels.

What’s the interface like?

easy to use. Depending on the player, you can hide sections you don’t use. You can also program them for just your favorite channels also.

Which player do you use/recommend? I assume you're not using one of the big guys like Sling or YTTV.

 

[Gottabesweet]

I am Shuked that so many people still rock Cable. I get the elderly angle but thats about it.

There's just no other legal way for me to get local professional hockey and baseball. At least not yet.
I trialed YouTube TV and it was fine with that exception (and the loss of the NHL network as well, at least at that point in time).

Same, local hockey is what is setting me apart from going to Youtube TV or something similar but even Youtube TV is creeping up to what I pay for DTV with the yearly negotiation.

 

[Da Guru]

Yep. I would be fine with cutting the cable, but my wife... not so much.

Thats where I am at right now. I hardly watch any TV but my wife knows all the Xfinity channels and I switched once and she got all wigged out. Right now we have a cable-internet bundle for 150.00 a month for the next year so that is not too bad.

Not sure what direction to go though.

 

[FairWarning]

IPTV, $80/year, 17,000 live channels.

What’s the interface like?

easy to use. Depending on the player, you can hide sections you don’t use. You can also program them for just your favorite channels also.

Which player do you use/recommend? I assume you're not using one of the big guys like Sling or YTTV.

i have amazon cube and Apple TV box - only need one. The cube works better than a firestick, less buffering. Next week is amazon prime days, they could run them on sale.

 

[Keerock]

So what are you saying @jack171999 ?

 

[Courtjester]

I think I have posted in another thread about this, but we spend a ridiculous amount of money each month on cable and streaming services.

My Xfinity bill includes cable with every movie channel except Cinemax--plus about 600 channels of stuff we don't watch. We pay extra each month so we can get Redzone during NFL times. We also have our alarm system, one of their highest tiered internet packages and yes, we have a landline still. We get Peacock and Max free with this, but our bill is just around $400.00 a month there.

We also subscribe to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu+ with Disney+ and ESPN+, and Paramount +. So we push close to $525+ a month for just digital entertainment,

i think it is just laziness that we haven;t moved away from cable.